Terra Incognita
by Virdu
Summary: Disaster strikes as the reenactment of the Anglo-Spanish armada battle was about to start, ushering all to the world of Sera. What impact will they have on a world teetering on the edge of destruction? What impact will this world have on them? Whatever happens, beyond the horizon; the apocalypse lurks.
1. Chapter 1

**Terra Incognita**

**Chapter one: Unprecedented**

Yeah, the story name's not original at all. But it's the most apt one, I believe. It was hard as all got out to think of a proper way to cross these franchises over in a somewhat convincing manner.

As for the choice of franchises in this crossover: I happen to love Kyoukai Senji no Horizon, and wanted to do a fanfic about it some time. As for why Gears of War. I considered several franchises, such as Last Exile and Resistance. But GoW is the only one where an idea solidified.

But, enough about that. With no further ado, I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

_19:20 - 14 A.E. _

_Pelruan trawler Sunshine_

Old Thomas sighed with disappointment after a long day at sea, so far out that they couldn't even see land very clearly – not that they're going to have trouble getting back of course. The aging skipper ran a hand through his thick and bushy whitening beard – wet from the incessant rain.

"Another miss, huh?"

A week had gone by and not a single fish had been caught.. Such terrible luck.

"Shall we head back?" came the coarse voice of his old friend, Bart. A halfway grumpy fellow he had known since childhood. Bart had stepped as far outside the wheelhouse as he could without letting go of the wheel.

Thomas sighed, and wished he could light up his smoking pipe. It would have made it easier to think. Instead, the old man looked up at the clouds gathering above – the weather getting worse as evening crept in across the sky.

"Yeah... might as well. A few more days of this, and we'll end up stuck on dry land."

Bart shook his head sadly:

"Damned shame. Maybe this is it then.. too old to start something else."

"Fishing's all this old seadog can do."

"Same here partner. Looks like retirement's around the corner."

But their forlorn expressions were soon met with that of Thomas' more optimistic grandson, Almer – who approached them from around the corner at the back of the ship. A fairly skilled fisherman now in his own right after having been with the old men at sea a dozen times.

"Cheek up, guys. let's try one more time before we head home."

"Confidence is all good and all, son. But why do you think now's gonna be any different?"

"I just feel it in my legs, this time will be different."

"Hah, just like you used to be in the old days." Bart verbally elbowed his friend.

Thomas laughed, "Until I wizened up..." his gaze drifting briefly to the darkening skies above. The weather looked just about ready to kick the calm overboard. Keeping the clouds in sight for just a moment, then something akin to a vortex appeared.. dragging the clouds towards it as if about to swallow them.

In surprise, he blinked. Startled by the sight, but when he opened his eyes again, the strange phenomenon had vanished. _Damn, my old eyes must be playing tricks on me..._

"Hey, grandfather. You listening?"

Tearing his eyes off the strange thing, Thomas refocused on the others, "...I hear you, but no. Weather's going south, better high-tail it back home before it gets even worse. Bart, ahead full."

"Roger that, no objection from me." Bart said, retreating back into the wheelhouse. "Ahead full." It took no longer than a few seconds before the engine could be heard chugging harder as the ship picked up speed.

Thomas did not like to disappoint his grandson, but there's a limit to everything. Fact of life right there.

"Still think we ought to give it another chance." Almer frowned, crossing his arms while making sure not to lose his balance as the waves got just a tiny bit worse.

He shook his head, "We'll try again once sea's feeling better. Best not overstay our welcome." Thomas turned, and was on his way to the wheelhouse when a bolt of lightning struck the water, no further than twenty feet away, "Whoa, shit!"

"Ye okay there?" Bart hollered.

Thomas grumbled under his breath, "Yeah... I'm-" the faintest mirror image appeared in the water, one that made the old man's blood run cold as he threw a glance back up at the skies... and felt his jaw drop.

The vortex had reappeared, much bigger this time. Stretching as far as his aging eyes could see, and it grew steadily deeper, but in the wrong direction. Its center rose into the sky, and the weirdest shapes appeared, hovering just beyond the layer of clouds.

It did not stop there. A flurry of lightning bolts shot down into the ocean, carrying with it a thick layer of water that splashed across the entire area, including the trawler. It was like someone had taken a pool and dumped it's entire contents onto his boat, all at once. Making it sink a couple of inches before 'jumping' back up once the barrage of water had passed.

"W-what in the blazes was that?!" Bart could be heard hollering. Almer voiced a similar reaction as he dived for cover, bracing for another one.

But Thomas had no answer to give them. Only able to stare up at the strange phenomenon as it continued its brutal course, shifting and changing.

_M-my god, what kind of weather is this?!_

* * *

_19:20; 4th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – en route to Musashino bridge; "Inadequate HQ"_

It is dark outside, and almost time for the historic reenactment of the Anglo-Spanish Armada Battle.

The young thane Adele Balfetto, had been appointed as the strategist of the Musashi in fellow student Neshinbara's absence. Off to get his Macbeth curse undone, while many of the other students of her class went to help Tenzo get to Mary Stuart – so he may confess and prevent her execution.

Trailing in her wake was the automatic doll 'Musashino', the front ship's acting captain. People referred to the Musashi as one ship, but it's actually a fleet of eight ships connected together by thick ropes. Two middle ships, and three on the port and starboard sides. Each of the ships, and their respective captains carrying the same names. With one head captain above them all, named after the fleet itself.

'Musashino' spoke up; "The Grande y Felicisima armada has been detected. It will be arriving in England's southeastern perimeter within the next few minutes. Over."

"Jud." Adele responded, "Is the fleet ready?" aware that she had just uttered the question for the umpteenth time. They had fought the forces of Tres España earlier, and taken their Mortal Sin Armament.. so the thane could not help but be worried about potential foul play – despite the importance of this reenactment.

The involvement of P.A. ODA's representative sure put them in a troublesome situation. Now they had no choice but to act as England's fleet in this. Succeed, and they'll have proven the Musashi's military strength. Failure would force them to negotiate with other nations from a weakened position. Either way, England will benefit from it by preserving their own fleet strength.

"All ships and fleet assets are at full readiness. We can launch at any time. Over." 'Musashino' repeated without twitching an eyebrow.

Adele exhaled, and readjusted her glasses as they came up on the door leading into Inadequate HQ, only to stumble awkwardly as the ship suddenly listed to port, "H-huh?"

In the air next to her, the chat system kicked in – having just received its newest entry:

[Asama]: "What was that? The whole fleet just..."

She tapped in a quick answer; 'I don't know!' before she rushed into the bridge. Mentally cursing herself for having written just that in her haste and confusion. That was horrible for one who's supposed to be in control of the situation, "What's happening?!"

'Musashino' answered promptly. All the other automatic dolls gathered in the bridge stood at attention, not particularly fussed. "No anomalies to any ship systems. The disturbance is external. Over."

"External? Are you saying England's tilting?"

The Musashi was still resting on the sea, off England's coast. Though it was far from a conventional coast, as its an airborne country.

"Correct. Searching for the cause. Over."

Further across the bridge, another automatic doll turned to address Adele, "Phenomenon detected underneath England. Over."

Phenomenon. Centuries ago, the term would have been regarded as odd, coming from the mouth of an automatic doll. But now, in a world where more phenomenons appear every passing year, as heralds of the apocalypse... Sufficed to say, it could not be stressed enough how serious this is. To encounter one so massive it could destabilize all of England.

One of the bridge's screens displayed the approaching armada, now coming to a clumsy halt as they too noticed what was happening.

Adele bit her lower lip, approaching her seat.. "S-show me."

Acknowledging the order, an image opened up before her. What she saw, was beyond imagining. A massive vortex had appeared underneath England. At present, it's only drawing in a prodigious amount of water from the ocean, but the phenomenon grew bigger by the second.

She was bewildered. Why was this happening? Why now? "What is its e-epicenter... relevant to England?"

A line was drawn through the image. From the center, and through the airborne nation above.

"That.. can't be a coincidence." she gasped. The other end of the line landed right at Avalon's presumed location, according to Masazumi. The thing kept sealed there must have triggered this.. somehow.

Adele was about to call for the Musashi to liftoff and withdraw immediately, but then the dolls began to noticeably sag. Even 'Musashino' faltered.

"W-wha-?"

A divine transmission opened up, from 'Musashi' herself. The doll – just barely staying upright with the blind Suzu at her side – regarded the thane, "Phenomenon is drawing in everything around it. Ether density in the air... dropping rapidly."

_It's sucking up all of the ether?!_ Adele stumbled, barely able to grab hold of the chair as England tilted even more, now slowly descending. Everywhere around her, systems began to fail. Image after image closing as energy failed to circulate. The one displaying the distant Tres España fleet closed last.. but showed that it too was caught by the phenomenon and dragged into the expanding vortex.

_A-are we going to die?_ Adele asked herself, filled with dread. Masazumi said what happened to the glove she tossed into that pool in Avalon, and now it is probably going to happen to all of them. Still... "Everyone-" she finally cried out, even though she was not sure if divine transmissions even worked anymore, "-get below deck, now!"

Outside, the vortex continuously expanded.. and eventually curved in a bizarre manner. Wrapping itself around the area until it had turned into a perfect sphere. Its surface blacker than black. All that it contained however, continued to fall – into what seemed like a bottomless abyss.

* * *

_19:25 - 14 A.E. _

_Pelruan trawler Sunshine_

Thomas had found himself short on words. There was nothing to say, nothing that could describe the unfathomable weather going on around them. The entire ocean's crackling with energy increasing in intensity while pulsing in tandem with the vortex that now covered the entire sky.

Bart shouted something unintelligible while Almer ran back and forth between the wheelhouse and the engine, trying to help the old man get the boat to pick up speed. It was as though the old _Sunshine_ couldn't budge another inch.

He with surprising calm descended the stairs, as if to see the thing up close, advancing all the way to the derrick while holding onto the rail. The shadows beyond the clouds were growing bigger now, as if threatening to break through and crush whoever had the misfortune of being under them.

For a moment, the old skipper lost himself in the view of it all. Between the energy lashing out from every wave and drop of water, the strange cacophony of colors blurring the air itself, especially so in the center of this strange storm, the pure blackness above.. and the eccentric shapes.

No matter how foreboding... It looked... strangely beautiful.

That was probably the only thing he could do besides waiting. Good or bad though, the waiting ended momentarily as one of the shadows broke through.. revealing what looked like a mountain chain, only upside down. But that was all he could see before the storm reacted by exploding outward. Sending an enormous burst of energy in all directions.. a literal wall of pure power, and a section of it was bearing down on the trawler below.

Thomas could barely turn away, to look at his friend and grandson as they also beheld what was happening. Just a bare second before the 'wall' reached them, and caused his world to vanish into darkness as the blast capsized the trawler in an instant and blew it below the water, sinking as though it was a rock.

Above, the weather soon normalized – though the rain continued. The vortex had vanished, replaced by the appearance of three gigantic formations unlike anything yet seen by this world.

* * *

_19:31; 4th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_England – near shore on the 4th level._

_What in the world was I thinking...?_

Masazumi could not help but wonder why she joined in on Tenzo's quest in the first place. With no combat ability of her own, it was a stupid move. And only realized that once the Living Bones; Christopher Hatton, came after her like a heat-seeking missile - with a cadre of skeletons at his back, and a book with which to clobber her.

But then, the upheaval happened. It made her trip, and hit her head against a rock.

And by the time she came to again, with the mother of all headaches, she was soaking wet. What used to be clear sky – just seconds ago to her – had turned into a furious rainstorm.

Shuddering from the ensuing cold, the girl slowly rose back onto her feet. Staring listlessly at the crashed cargo ship, which still remained where they left it. Trying to desperately make sense of what happened until her attention almost absently turned to the skeleton spirit that had chased after her up till then, wondering why he hadn't killed her while she was unconscious.

He was lying on the ground a small distance away. Both head and body meters apart. The latter slowly getting up to retrieve the former. His skeleton soldiers just as absent as the pocket dimension they were in just a moment ago.

Even though cold and confused, Masazumi approached Hatton.. her eyes darkening, followed by her lips curling into a smirk as an evil thought crossed her mind, "Lost your head, Lord Chancellor?"

Hatton blinked as well as a skeleton could possibly do. And even with the absence of proper glands, sweated profusely at the sight of Musashi's Vice President towering above him, "Er.. let's take it easy, shall we?"

"Oh~" Masazumi whispered, "I don't think so.." and – with plenty past-practice sending Toori flying through the neighborhood – punted the skull in London's general direction with a resounding boom.

"Noooo!" Hatton cried as he flew into the distance. With his body in hot, if blind, pursuit.

_That felt... satisfying_. Masazumi sighed, a window popping up next to her head with the chat's newest entries – complimenting her kick:

[Me]: Nice one!

[Hora-Ko]: 9/10.

Masazumi could do little but groan. Few could make so light of things. Those being the handle names of Aoi Toori and Horizon Ariadust, in that order.

A shadow was cast over the area as the Musashi could be seen rising past England's coast-line.

_Er, what was the Musashi doing down there in the first place? What happened while I was out?_

Itching to find out what was going on, and realizing she'll catch a cold if she stayed here for much longer – opened a divine transmission to the half-dragon classmate of hers, "Ulquiaga, I need a lift back to the Musashi – on the double!"

"What, you cold?" the future inquisitor replied with a hidden smirk. The Vice-Chancellor made a note of the sound of battle in the background. Even after this recent upheaval, whatever happened, the quest continued.

"J-just break off the attack and help me out."

"Easier said than done. Bacon is not one you would want to show your back to. Not as long as he got that hammer."

So getting an airlift from him was a no-go at this time, "I see..."

Her unspoken prayer was answered via divine transmission – unexpectedly – by Margot Naito, "I'll be right there, hold on."

"Huh...?" Masazumi wondered just how far out of the loop she had been locked out, "What about the reenactment?"

"Um, the Tres España armada just withdrew..."

"... T-they did WHAT?"

* * *

_19:33; 4th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – Musashino bridge; "Inadequate HQ"_

Yeah, that's what happened.

Just after the power returned, the captains – having recovered – stopped Musashi's chaotic descent and stabilized it. England and the armada also seemed to recover at the exact same time they did.

"Is... everyone alright?"

"Barring a few injuries, yes. Over."

"... What a relief."

Adele, more than a little shaken from the ordeal - having taken time to recover from the shock caused by the event that just transpired - watched as the armada turned around and left in a hurry. The act bewildered her almost as much as the phenomenon they got caught up in did. History reenactment is not something any nation could call off, just like that.

But... something else doesn't quite feel right. They were falling, yet there's not anything anomalous now. England still hovered at the same height above the ocean-surface as it did before the fall among other things. Was it all just an illusion?

The only strangeness apparent was what appeared to be land in the far distance. But.. that can't be. The mainland's not _that_ close.

"Musashino. Do a maximum perimeter scan, particularly the area ahead of us."

"Initiating scan. Over."

It only took a few seconds before a new image appeared, displaying a map of the scanned area. Both England and Musashi showed. But though she was unable to believe it at first, the evidence was irrefutable. That which she saw truly _is_ landmass. But before thinking they were brought closer to land, she realized something.

"I... I don't recognize this coastline."

"Jud. It is not listed on any map in our records. Over."

Adele was at a loss of words. Unable to believe how this could be. Eventually though, she found her voice again; "Check again. Check all maps besides the Harmonious States and the Far East. Old world maps, separate countries, anything. Look for any that matches the coastline we're seeing." she said while pulling herself upright.

The automatic dolls responded in the affirmative, and invisibly went to work – leaving Adele to sink back into the strategist's chair.

In her mind, she tried to formulate a recommendation for Toori to call together a meeting. This looked like it could get a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

_19:38; 4th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_England – London – Oxford Academy – Avalon_

Her brain steered her in the general direction of Avalon the moment the phenomenon appeared. But because of the resulting disturbances, she only arrived just now.

Queen Elizabeth just felt this trouble was somehow caused by the phenomenon sealed within Avalon. But in what way, she had no idea.

The moment she stepped into Avalon though.. instead of the little paradise the compressed dimension 'Avalon' always contained since Henry VIII created it, she instead found a partially drained wasteland. And further in, the dam in which the phenomenon was supposed to be contained within, was empty. The seal broken.

"This is..."

She looked over the devastation. Appearing stoic, but puzzled deep inside. That puzzlement was quickly replaced by anger and haste as she opened up divine transmissions to the first two in mind, specifically because they are on land and air respectively:

"Robert Dudley! Grace O'Malley!"

The answer was immediate. Dudley was in the middle of a fight, but the frail-looking Vice-Chancellor still managed to answer the call, "Y-y-yes, my Queen?"

Grace responded in kind. On board her ship, Granuaile, – not involved in any of the ongoing battles – nibbling on a donut. "Present, my Queen."

"Avalon has suffered a serious containment failure. The sample of the apocalypse is gone. Wherever it has gone – find it!"

Dudley gasped, so troubled by the news that she for a second forgot she's in a fight, and just narrowly dodged an arrow that had just been sent back at her.

Grace picked up the seriousness of the situation too, but she responded in a surprisingly nonchalant manner; "Ah, so that's what it was."

"Do you see it?" Queen Elizabeth demanded.

"Yes, the phenomenon that just occurred happened directly underneath England, below Avalon. Here's what is left of it."

The Queen waited for the image to be brought up... and when it did, displayed a large black orb that simply hovered there in thin-air like an overgrown pinata. Then it began to descend.

Queen Elizabeth half-expected a disaster to occur upon contact with the ocean surface, but instead.. it simply dipped into the water and sank. Just... _sank_. Nothing happened otherwise. And soon, it was completely beyond her sight.

_This... this doesn't make any sense._

"What now?" Grace inquired.

"... Phenomenon loose and acting up. The armada gone. History reenactment a complete failure. What in the world do you think we need to do?"

"W-we need to call t-together an emergency meeting." Dudley stuttered, "A-and review all available data before we proceed further."

Queen Elizabeth grumbled underneath her breath, "Make it happen. I want all data on the table by then, do not leave anything out."

"Tes!" Dudley and Grace replied both at once before the transmissions closed. Leaving the Queen to stare upon all the mess. And felt she was forgetting something – until it dawned on her.

"My sister, that's right!"

She whipped around, pulled her dress up a little, and dashed out. There was still those students from Musashi trying to prevent Mary's execution.

_Ugh, these next few days are going to be such a headache..._

* * *

**Author's note**: And so the game's on. And just to note, this story won't focus entirely on fighting and building body count. Other than that, in regard to GoW timeline, it's after the events of the second game.

Thanks for reading, and please review.


	2. Chapter 2

_23:05; 4th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_England – London – Oxford Academy- Queen's Throne Room_

* * *

It was night, yet there is little rest to be found. The recent phenomenon had made the people of England deeply uneasy, to the point of some even jumping at shadows, as if expecting something dire to happen at any moment. No one could blame them.

But in terms of atmosphere, in no place was it heavier than the meeting about to start in Oxford Academy.

Nearly all of the TRUMPS – Oxford Academy's Chancellor's board and Student Council – had assembled, and standing at attention before Queen Elizabeth.

Her mood had not gotten much better, despite the truce that was successfully reached with Musashi regarding Mary Stuart. The queen currently sitting on her throne, with the E.X. Caliburn – finally free from the execution grounds – at her side.

Understandably, all of the TRUMPS present were utterly silent, their eyes almost collectively focusing on the floor. Trying to do anything to avoid incurring the Fairy Queen's wrath. But she drummed her fingers at the arm of her throne impatiently. Of all the TRUMPS, only the half-wolf Francis Drake had not yet arrived.

Robert Dudley and the egg-shaped William Cecil quivered mildly. They were two of those who guarded Mary the closest. Even though the outcome was good and beneficial to both sides, it did not lessen the fact that they failed. Both wet from the surprising downpour that still went on outside – though they were hardly alone in exactly that regard.

Walter Raleigh was the final line of defense. Failed, but showed no sign of regret other than the slightest hint of clenched jaws.

The expressions of those who hadn't participated in the fight were unreadable. Even the normally cheerful and outgoing Nicholas Bacon bore a serious look.

Eventually, the silence was broken as Francis finally arrived, the half-wolf dripping wet – as if he just went for a swim. Curiously, he was carrying along a large bucket filled with what appeared to be sea-water.

"W-w-where have you been, Sir Francis?" Dudley went ahead and asked.

"Pardon my lateness. Highness." the half-wolf replied with a mild grunt, and bowed before the Queen as he lined up with the rest.. putting the bucket of water down on the floor, "Just had to finish my investigation."

Intentional or not, the bucket drew a lot of attention. More than a few wondering why Francis had bothered to bring _that_ here.

"That is fine." the Queen replied with the casual wave of a hand, "Robert Dudley..."

Strict formality if nothing else. The frail woman straightened up and announced the following – now that everyone's here: "Th-thus, I call this special meeting of the Oxford Academy Student Council and Ruling Council to order. F-firstly, the issue of Tres España's failure to go through with the historic reenactment."

Though the phenomenon's a serious issue. Historic reenactments – which did not start on a whim – are important also. Failure to go through the reenactments carries with it serious consequences, of which the apocalypse is one.

"Has there been any words from Tres España?" Queen Elizabeth inquired.

At this, Grace O'Malley took a step forward:

"They've had yet to actually contact us, my Queen. Tried to contact them.. But so far, it has been a consistent failure. They are either suffering from equipment failure, or they're actively blocking, or ignoring us."

"Equipment failure is extremely unlikely." Francis rejected said assumption, "I would think the latter is the most probable."

"Yes, but there is something more to this." Elizabeth stated, "I can't seem to reach anyone in the other countries." briefly opening up a divine transmission with the wave of a hand, addressed to Pope Innocentius of K.P.A. Italia. But no answer but static.

Grace and Francis exchanged uneasy glances. The former spoke her mind first, "Could the union be trying to boycott us?"

That thought struck Charles Howard as completely preposterous, "That is absurd. We've done nothing to warrant such treatment."

The queen hummed softly, "What is your assessment of this unfortunate situation then?"

"I... lack the information to make that assessment. But considering what happened, maybe it's got something to do with our current difficulties." the treasurer's voice was a little strained as his mind raced to answer in a satisfactory manner; "I mean.. purely hypothetically, could it possibly be that it's restricting communications... or taken us to a place far too removed to make contact?"

"I'm willing to bet it's the latter case." Grace said, giving Howard a solemn nod, "From my perspective, it was as though everything was falling down... so I went and probed the sky."

"Did you find anything to substantiate your thought?" the queen asked of her.

"I believe so. A thousand feet above us, there is a hole in the air. One invisible to the naked eye."

"A hole? How curious..." Charles muttered, "And, how did you find this hole, per chance?"

"Only because ether is pouring out of it in vast quantities.."

The treasurer arced an eyebrow, "I see.. but wait, why is ether pouring out of it in the first place?"

The hall fell silent.

Grace coughed, continuing: "That, I do not know. But suffice to say, we're indeed looking at the possibility of being somewhere else entirely."

"Perhaps in a wholly different world even." Francis almost sneered.

"Oh?"

"See this?" the half-wolf picked up the bucket, "Water with no ether in it."

Ben Johnson was most vocal in the response amidst the outcry of disbelief that followed, "Surely you jest. That simply can not be, right?"

"I'd agree with you if evidence wasn't staring into my face."

"You-"

"Enough, Ben." the queen huffed as she regarded the half-wolf, "So you're saying we have been dumped into a place without ether?" _it would explain the reason why the remnant of the phenomenon plunged into the ocean without destroying it outright._

"Not exactly without, since a lot of it ended up here with us – plus the amount streaming out of the aforementioned hole above us."

"But, a different world?" her fists tightened.

He noticed the motion and prepared to throw himself to the floor, – same with the rest – just in case. "Yes, highness."

But the queen simply exhaled and leaned back against her throne, "Then, what do you suggest we do?"

"All I can offer is to try and confirm it for sure. Such as measuring ether density both here and far out."

Dudley took over from there: "Bu-but the priority should be to find a way to go back, I b-believe."

"Naturally. Thus I decree this; we will study the hole, and figure a way to expand it. Sir Francis, your duty will be to reconnoiter the region - and determine where the phenomenon has gone to, if it still exists. F. Walsingham, you shall accompany him."

Walsingham dipped her head wordlessly in compliance. Everyone else responded with a clear-voiced, "Tes!"

"This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

_23:15; 4th june; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - Okutama – Ariadust Academy – Class 3-Plum_

It took a while for everyone to get back, and recover from their nightly ordeal, but now the meeting could finally take place.

Masazumi gazed across the classroom from where she stood, in front of the teacher's desk – which belonged to their teacher, Oriotorai, who simply acted as an observer and intermediary during these particular meetings.

The world that was would have scratched their collective heads at this political system. Each nation ruled by Student Councils. Basically, Class 3-Plum is Musashi's government. The only difference being that no other country have age-restrictions for their students.

It was a sobering thought that still remained a source of grief to Masazumi, who was studying to become a politician in the first place. Meaning, after graduation, he'll have to enter the Provisional Council and act as an adviser to new students. Just like his father did.

Before the meeting could formally get going, Masazumi made sure the fleet-wide divine transmissions are online. This was not a secret meeting after all – the people deserved to know what is going on.

"Well then." Oriotorai began, smiling brightly as she often did - especially during fights, "Looks like everyone's here. Masazumi, feel free."

Masazumi sighed inwardly, "First, I would like to welcome our newest student and citizen; Mary Stuart." with a nod of her head directed at Elizabeth's twin sister – now sitting right next to Tenzou Crossunite, who had succeeded with his confession.. and following the truce, had become her fiance.

A brief applause followed from several of the others. Though it mostly embarrassed the rather modest woman, "T-thank you. But please, just call me Mary."

The applause gradually stilled – allowing Masazumi to continue, "Onto business. I'll be upfront with you: We're in dire straits. The reenactment failed, but most severe is what we are currently facing right now."

Tenzou raised a hand, "Enlighten us, please. Us on the ground understood very little."

Masazumi nodded, "I will then give the word to Lady Adele Balfette, who saw the brunt of it, well helped by the captains of Musashi - along with their automaton subordinates." gesturing for the bespectacled girl to stand up and present her information to class. The Vice President moving to the side in turn.

Adele rose from her chair and went to stand in front of class, "Um, okay. First, I need you to take a look at this." and opened up a large sign frame in front of the chalkboard. Smaller ones appearing before the rest – displaying the map of the local region, with the shapes of England and Musashi in the middle.

"This is..." Neshinbara nearly gasped, "Is this map scaled right, or...?"

"What you're looking at is a coastline that does not exist on_ any_ map we possess. The recent phenomenon transported us to a location completely unknown to us."

Murmurs of shock and worry spread across class before the Secretary managed to give voice to another question; "Hrm, have you attempted to contact the other nations?"

"Jud, but beyond England, there has been no reply. Until we know more, we got to assume that they are too far out of our reach at this time, and prepare accordingly."

"Prepare for what?" Naomasa, still the poster-child of stoicism. Even in this strange situation.

Ohiroshiki Ginji answered, picking up at least one of the things they're going to have to prepare for right away: "Food shortages. As I've noted earlier, the Musashi produce only 20% of its food. And though England is capable of feeding a growing population, if just barely on its own, its ability to support us is limited."

"That's right. Energy could also become an issue." Adele followed up. "'Musashino' noted strange ether irregularities in the air. Currently the Musashi's ether absorbing plates are taking in less ether than sustainable in the long run."

"And rely too heavily on England-" Masazumi continued the line of thought, "-and they will without a doubt capitalize on the situation. With their strong military and more senior Student Council, the possibility is; they will eventually try to capture Musashi – truce or not."

"Fufu, a show of weakness we can ill afford." Aoi Kimi commented.

"Precisely."

"It's a real bother." Ginji continued; "We neither got the space, nor sufficient manpower to support larger fields. In any case, we're going to have to ration our food until such a time when food's more easily available." and proceeded to shudder at his own suggestion.

"Or, we should try to make contact with the natives of this land, if possible." Bertoni, the Student Council's Treasurer, brought up with a gleam in his eyes.

Heidi appeared quite enthused by the suggestion, "Great idea."

"We could try either, or both of those options. Though, we don't know the first thing about the natives of this land... or even if there are people around here at all." Masazumi thought aloud, her gaze settling on Adele; "Is there any sign of settlements in this region?"

"Well..." the young thane reached out to the sign frame and pressed her finger against a series of locations, leaving behind red dots in its wake, "It's hard to say as there's very little energy signatures to go by, but we've detected signs of artificial structures in these places. We'll need to conduct reconnaissance to find out more."

A few shifted in their chairs. Margot especially, as a group of Techno-Hexen are perfect for undertaking such duties.

"That said-" Masazumi continued, "-how are we going to handle the eventual energy problem? You got any suggestion, Naomasa?"

The engineer hummed softly, her eyes narrowing as she thought about it. "Our options are limited on that front. We do not have much in regard to heavy engineering, but the Engineering club might be able to construct ether-vein reactors.. but nothing on the scale of the one that used to be in Mikawa."

"Small ones then?"

"Jud. Our traveling range will be limited accordingly though. To expand that requires more to be built.."

"Oi." Toori finally said something – in his usual cheerful tone, which was necessary for his continued survival. "The locals ain't gonna like you placing down buildings to the left and right in their own back yard."

Aoi Toori may act like an impulsive idiot sometimes, but he's far from stupid. And in this case; there was nothing wrong with his line of reasoning. This coastline could be part of a nation for all they know, "Alright. Scouting will have to come first. Margot, you in for it?"

"Jud." the white-winged witch replied in the affirmative with a smile. Malga Naruze, fellow witch and Margot's lover, frowned a little at not being asked. but Her broom was damaged back in Mikawa, so her ability to assist was limited.

"I'll lead the eventual diplomatic mission to any settlement of note you find. Bertoni, you'll come with me."

The miser nodded, "Fine. Don't waste money."

"Nate. May I rely on you to escort us?"

Class 3-Plum's 5th Special Agent, a powerful feudal knight, responded in the affirmative. "Yes, your lives will be safe in my hands."

Next, 1st Special Agent, Tenzou addressed her with a raised hand; "This is an unknown realm, lady Masazumi. Thus I humbly request permission to assist."

"That's reassuring." Masazumi replied with a smile, "You're more than welcome to join us."

Various classmates exchanged words, but other than that, there was nothing of importance in it. Oriotorai grinned, "Looks like the plans for the immediate future's been laid out. Unless there is anything else to add, I'd say it's time for all to hit the sack."

Masazumi thought about it. But it did look like there's no need to discuss further. They could not begin to solve their energy and food problems before establishing contact with locals first. "Alright, this will have to do for now. We will go through further details later. Once we've all rested up."

Rustling of chairs followed as everyone accepted the decision and motioned to leave. Divine transmissions closing as the meeting concluded. Only one thing remained for the Vice President to do before going home to get some sleep as well: Leading Tenzou and Mary to their new shared room down in the dormitories, then noticed the ninja was missing.

"Did Tenzou go on ahead?"

"Yes, he wanted to prepare the room for us."

"He sure doesn't waste any time." Masazumi sighed as the two left the classroom – right after everyone had gone. "That said, President Sakai is doing the paperwork for your transfer as we speak."

"Thank you lady Masazumi."

"Just Masazumi is fine."

"Sure. Shall we go then?"

"Yeah, let's."

It was relieving, to converse so casually with Mary as they went to the dormitories, expecting Crossunite to be done and waiting by the time they got there. And back at home, a warm bed was waiting to accept Masazumi's tired form.

* * *

_09:15; 5th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Lesser Islands – close to the mainland_

The rain withdrew eventually, leaving behind a dense mist that lasted for the greater part of the morning, and covered the sea almost all the way to the coast – from which two people eventually appeared out of, both riding on a single Schalebesen (broomstick) The technohexen Margot flying it, while Tenzou sat in a crouched position behind her – facing backwards.

So far, visibility had been very poor. But now, as they passed the beach on the way inland, the shroud finally began clearing away.

"W-whoa, fly higher." Tenzou called out. He's supposed to keep watch in the other direction, but there was a certain jarring notion to be doing that in low visibility, low altitude and high speed – though it seemed Margot had full control all along. One of the important things in flight is to always keep the horizon in sight, so flying this low was basically required.

As if amused, Margot flew even lower to startle the ninja, "I know, keep your eyes peeled towards the rear. But not my rear, note."

"J-jud." he stuttered. There's no reason to feel worried about him checking her out though. She's a busty blond, just the kind of woman he liked. He got a fiance now, and besides, Margot's not interested in guys at all.

He averted his eyes, gazing down at the area behind them as the ocean and beaches vanished into the distance and was replaced by extensive forestland. His foothold on her broomstick remaining solid despite their current speed.

Tenzou scanned the forest, which stretched for miles all around – rich with a great number and variety of animals. "Now, I'm not very knowledgeable about farming, but I guess this place could do nicely if we cleared away some of the trees."

"Take a few pictures and let Ginji be the judge then." Margot replied with a bit of a cheer, focusing more on her flying.

Just as that was said though, they flew past what looked like a highway, partly concealed by overgrown foliage, "L-lady Margot, wait. I see a road, follow it if you may."

"Jud~ Jud~ Which way?"

It only took a moment to orientate himself and decide, "West, go west." and braced himself as the technohexen changed course accordingly, arcing lazily through the air until they flew parallel to the road.

Upon closer inspection, the path was a dilapidated one. Not having seen any kind of maintenance for what might be years. A general state of disrepair could say much about the local inhabitants, but the ninja knew it would be arrogant to start presuming things about people they did not know about.

"Ninety minutes until we need to return, cross your fingers." she said.

"I will."

* * *

_09:36; 5th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Further inland_

What sights awaited them were not of the encouraging kind. Mile upon mile of broken roads, dotted by the occasional crater and smallish heaps of rusty vehicles.

They followed the highway closely, but took shortcuts whenever possible. There was a tunnel along the way, which they elected to fly around it instead of entering – something just felt wrong about the place. Soon enough, the two found where the tunnel ended and continued to follow the gravel road from there.

Eventually though, something to break up the relative monotony as they encountered what quickly provoked Margot to wrinkle her nose, ever so slightly, "Look there..."

"What is it, lady Margot?"

She did not even have to point it out for him, as he saw it as clear as day the moment he tossed a glance over his shoulders. The animated eyes on his cap widening at the view that awaited him, "That is..."

Down there, atop the remains of a mass of utterly wrecked cars and trucks, lay a monstrous carcass... or what's left of it anyway.

With a quick analysis was carried out from this distance, Tenzou could make out a few particular details. That the thing used to be bipedal, judging by how the body's built, and at least a couple of stories tall. A shattered skull and ribs testifying to the cause of its death.

But most notable was its large harness. It's not just a monster, but a beast of war. A couple of pits located towards the front appeared to be the cockpit, in a manner of putting it. One rider controlling the beast... while the other most likely used the guns attached to the beast's limbs and harness – including a massive mounted cannon.

"Not exactly what one expects to find, huh?" the witch asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

Tenzou found himself nodding in agreement, "Indeed. I will make a quick note to the others.. in case anyone is thinking of making landfall. Might be more of its kind out there." and opened up the chat box, typing in quick details of what they've found so far – under his handle name [10-ZO].

The answer was immediate, which was to be expected as its a system that pops up well within the periphery of his classmates' vision:

[Me]: A dinosaur with guns strapped on? Way cool!

[Ukii]: Ooh!

[Smoking woman]: ...Really?

[Asama]: Poor thing.

[Tonbokiri]: Sounds interesting.

[Argente loup]: Crude, but ditto.

[Almost everyone]: Whatever you're thinking, forget it!

Tenzou joined in on the latter one, Futayo and Nate waded into a potentially dangerous line of thought there. Lastly, Masazumi added her own input:

[Student Council Vice President]: Take it easy, we're not here to pick a fight!

That he had no trouble agreeing with. _Let us hope the natives are of the same mind._

"Tenzou?" Margot fetched the ninja's attention as they moved on from the body.

"Huh?" the chat window vanished with a thought.

"I see smoke, right over yonder."

He nearly rose from his crouching position and stared ahead, and managed to recognize the vague columns of smoke for what they are. All rising up from beyond a small mountain straight ahead.

"Where there is smoke..." Tenzou almost whispered.

"...there is fire." the blonde finished for him with a hint of glee, "Shall we?"

"Jud. Fly fast..."

"...and fly high... herrlich!"

Just as she finished the incantation she normally use for most of her abilities as a technohexen, the speed of her scharlebasen increased drastically, and the two shot off into the distance. Rapidly approaching the smoke in the hopes of finding even the smallest hint of civilization.

Tenzou felt his heart fall into the abdomen as the ground became so distant, the technohexen not holding anything back in order to get a good view of the place they're approaching.

But past the mountain.. what awaited them was a somber landscape. A city stretching out before their eyes, at first looking pristine until the location's condition dawned on them.

The city was little but ruins. It had gone through at least a decade of war, lawlessness and constant pillaging from the looks of it. Everything of value had long since been stripped and taken away, leaving behind vast stretches of dilapidated buildings. Many of those had been built with stone as the main building materials though, resulting in a large number of those still standing despite years of absent maintenance, though many others were either razed, toppled or just barely standing... awaiting the first strong gust of wind to blow them down like a row of card houses.

Margot hummed as she scanned the place, both disappointed and saddened by the sight.

The ninja tried to make out the little details that told of what went down here. And just barely managed to make out – judging by the damages – where the battles had been fought the hardest.

But amidst the devastation, he noticed one peculiarity, "Lady Margot, don't you think it is strange?"

"... About what?"

"Those holes down there.." Tenzou gestured at various holes that punctured the streets in several places. "Guh, they give me a bad feeling. Explosions did not make those.."

"How can you tell?" Margot asked, perplexed.

"A detonation would have left a crater, not a neat hole like that. Plus, all the dirt, gravel and stones are gathered in a ring just past the edge. More like they were displaced than excavated, as if burst open from below."

"But then, who made them? Invaders, or defenders staging ambushes?"

"Can't tell. They are all over the place."

Margot breathed a sigh, "We'll get some light shed on this later. Let us focus on finding the natives, the closest column of smoke is right up ahead."

"Jud." Tenzou's gaze rested on the holes for just a little longer before he turned to glare in the general direction of the smoke's origin.. with only a few seconds to spare until contact as the technohexen had them fly past, right above it.

He experienced that same feeling as when they emerged from the mist earlier – Margot was flying the schalebesen low again, flying between the buildings instead of above. But Tenzou's eyes were focused on the place below.. a rather small camp with only a dozen people in it from the looks of it. All of them... _human_. Mostly men.

They flew past before most of those in the camp could crane their necks to look at what's making the passing shadow.. but those that did, immediately sounded the alarm – consisting of a lone bell hanging from a streetlight.

"That was just an outpost, there has got to be a settlement here somewhere."

Margot nodded, but she was more worried about the sounding of those bells, more of them could be heard across town. Word was getting around. Understanding they might be short on time, she fed more energy into her schalebesen and upped the speed even more.

That little decision seemed to have saved them, as a bullet streaked past where they were just a second ago, surprising them both; "W-whoa!"

"Time to fall back?" she inquired quickly.

"Nay. Just one good look at the local settlement and _then_ we leave." Tenzou glared at their surroundings with more focus than before, trying to discern where it might be.. then thought to look at the remaining columns of smoke, and pointed in the direction of the only place with multiple fires; "There, lady Margot, try that place over there!"

"Jud!"

The technohexen soon brought them over to the next place, a rather sizable – walled-off – shantytown. Tenzou spent a moment to scan what he could see, most notably the people, counting at least a few hundred before he was satisfied with his observations. "Alright, all done. Get us out of here, stat." he finally said, this time grabbing hold to avoid falling off from the speed-increase about to follow. Watching in mild trepidation as a trio of sign frames appeared around the bristles, each with the sign for acceleration.

_S-she sure likes to go fast_.. was all he could think in before they shot off into the distance, heading out to sea.

* * *

_09:48; 5th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Lesser islands – en route to "Musashi"_

By the time they got back to the sea, it was at the very least relieving to find that most of the mist had dispersed, or locally at the very least – as both England and the Musashi should be visible at this distance, if vaguely.

But he could not see either of them.

"L-lady Margot, could you slow down?" Tenzou inquired uneasily. She had accelerated so much they left the city behind in just a few heartbeats. And after minutes of traveling at that speed, he was starting to worry about falling off as his knuckles whitened from holding the broomstick so tightly.

The sign frames in the rear winked out of existence in the blink of an eye, bringing down their speed by a noticeable margin. But unlike him, his classmate showed absolutely no sign of discomfort, "You alright?"

The ninja breathed in relief, "Thank you, sincerely! I will be fine, just allow me a breather.." as he eased his hands off the broom and flexed the fingers rapidly, trying to get the feeling back in them.

"Might as well open a line and report while you rest."

"J-jud." he was just thinking about doing just that, opening a divine transmission to Masazumi with a thought. At least that did not require the use of hands – he worried they might decide to drop off and call it quits on their own.

* * *

_09:48; 5th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Above Lesser islands - Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - Diplomatic ship_

Unlike most of the ships that compose the Musashi, and smaller ships carried by the fleet – usually rectangular and blocky in shape and design – the diplomatic ship was much more elegant in form. Designed to look as innocuous and inviting as possible, with moderation.

It had just left the hangar of its mother ship; the Tama. Ready to go forth.

On the middle of its main deck stood those that would act as Musashi's representatives. Bertoni looked as stiff as a stick, with a perfect poker face as always – living up to the nickname the Testament Union gave him without fail.

Nate walked about further away, her attention on the ship's crew – which only numbered about six, compared to the fifteen regular soldiers tagging along.

Masazumi stood at the center, addressing technohexen scouts reporting back via Divine transmission. So far, their search had been largely fruitless.

"Any destination so far?" Nate approached her, eyes set on the horizon.

"I'm afraid not." the vice president half-whispered. It's a bit of a stigma to set off on a ship, only to go back and dock again soon after. She'd hate to do that after having gone so far preparing, "I sincerely hope Crossunite and Margot find something. They are the only ones that hasn't reported in yet."

Bertoni was about to mutter something about a waste of money when a divine transmission window opened up in front of the vice president. Displaying the ninja – as if mentioning him by name had summoned him.

"Lady Masazumi. Reporting in."

"Speak of the devil." she spoke so softly the comment barely left her throat, "Do you have something for us?"

"Yes, we found a settlement. But do not get your hopes up. It is a shantytown in the middle of a decrepit city. There was a war here at some point, and the locals are still trying to recover."

"A shantytown, a war, locals trying to recover." the young woman repeated thoughtfully before she turned to Bertoni, "What is your take on that?"

The treasurer narrowed his eyes slightly, "What is there to say. They probably do not have much to offer at all, but on the other hand; they might be very receptive to material goods in their efforts to rebuild and heighten the standard of living. That is, if they care about rebuilding."

Tenzou shook his head soberly, "We got shot at, so I believe they do not appreciate strangers on their own turf."

Masazumi included that in her consideration, "They do have _something_ to offer; information. We could offer a few gifts in exchange for just that. And with sufficient prompting and encouragement, we might encourage them to work and produce."

"That would be convenient, provided they open up to us." the merchant concluded.

"Still." Tenzou exclaimed, "Approaching them is going to be dangerous."

Margot leaned into view, "Culture shock may br worth attempting. Many of the locals seemed spooked as they looked up at us. Far as I can ascertain, they may be far less advanced than us, best use it to our advantage."

Which could means.. the sight of their flying ship entering the airspace above the city could either trigger a violent response, or make the locals stand down to avoid angering what might just as well be a dragon. Whichever would be the case, Masazumi had made her decision; "Give us the coordinates to the city. We'll come to you."

"Jud." both special agents responded in the affirmative.

* * *

**Author notes**: Okay, so they're starting to explore this new world. And will try talking to the local faction of Stranded. The COG will be encountered later on, as novel-wise, they're still having a rather poor time in Port Farral, trying to make it habitable. And then there's Tres España, that will certainly be making earlier contact with the dangers of this world.

For now, it's about the newcomers building up a presence in the world of Sera as they try to solve their own problems. But it won't be easy, far from it. And eventually, there will be some friction.

And for the sake of those unfamiliar with the Horizon-franchise. Though there are mention of magic-related terms, in the end; the magic used in the series are simply technology so advanced it's like magic. Clarke's third law kind of stuff.

As for the "Jud." and "Tes." They are used as affirmative remarks. The Far East, which includes Mikawa and Musashi, uses "Jud" (Judgment) While the other nations in the setting uses "Tes" (Testament)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Contact**

* * *

_10:46; 5th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Near the coast – Tuktu City_

First contact. This could easily be considered as such.

Masazumi stood at the bow of the ship, and observed the sign frames in front of her, which displayed close-up images of the harbor area of the city. The earlier scout-mission was one thing, but when attempting contact, one shouldn't brazenly cross the border... though that's exactly what they did with England. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. But this, required a more delicate approach. Their targets are post-war survivors living in abysmal conditions.

She squinted at the image that most closely regarded the activity within the harbor. Full of aging hulks so covered by signs of wear and tear that 'boat' would be a fairly generous _compliment_.

"No resale value at all." Bertoni mused to himself, "And useless to us, even if recycled."

Half-ignoring him, she continued to observe. There's a lot of people crewing the harbor, and the boats moored at it, many which appeared to be armed. Masazumi was able to see signs of people from one boat to another having an argument. They all looked filthy and dirty, as if they hadn't bathed for a really long time. But there was also a distinct lack of camaraderie in place, like they're complete strangers to one another.

Nate hummed as she went to stand next to her and the merchant, "Does it not look like something special might be taking place?"

Masazumi gave a nod, "That is what I'm wondering too. And on that note, I believe that might be our best place to initiate contact."

A divine transmission popped up next to her head, it was the ship's captain; "Milady, they are not responding to our hails."

"You're expecting people like that to have any com tech beyond basics? I doubt they could respond even if they had any."

"What shall we do?"

"Lower the ship and take us in – slowly."

Nate addressed her again once the transmission closed, "Lady Masazumi, I must note: The mood down there stinks, and I do not mean their choice of hygiene. If anything turn sour, it will turn ugly in a heartbeat. Please allow us to take action appropriate to level of hostility if it does arise."

"Unless they start shooting at us, don't do anything rash. Otherwise, feel free."

"Jud."

* * *

_10:49 – 14 A.E._

_Tuktu City Port_

"Just shut the fuck up, assholes." Kuln shouted in raw annoyance at the boat used by the Char clan delegation, though it was a delegation only in the vaguest sense. Boats from at least thirty stranded clans had come so far. He had been forced to listen to yet another rant about Tuktu clan hospitality before he turned and stomped away, and made sure to stay close to cover, just in case the idiots decide to send a few bullets after him.

Past the quay, close to the storehouse in the area, good friend Maran came. He held his Gnasher like he meant to use it, "Hey, trouble with those bastards again?"

"Yeah. I swear, they make more noise than the damned COG. Just because they sit on shit-tons of fuel doesn't mean they get to act the way they do. I hope that conference is over and done with soon." and formed air quotes at the word _conference_.

"Annoying I know. But bear with it, they're Stranded, just like us."

"Go and tell _them_ that. Shit, what I'd give for a proper cup of coffee right now.." Kuln murmured, more to himself than anyone else, and turned to peer at the sea – shrouded thickly by mist. Old luxuries were long gone, and he had long since forgotten what a lot of stuff tasted like. A state he compared to the sea beyond the port hidden by the persistent mist.

But then, in the distance.. a curious light appeared, closing in. At first, Kuln thought another delegation just arrived. But... something was wrong. "Guys, you seeing this?"

The light came closer, whatever it belonged to.. was too quiet. So silent in fact, most across the harbor were none the wiser. "Yes... I'm... uh." both him and Maran who stuttered the response - dropping his Gnasher in the process - was taken aback as a ship emerged from the mist. At first, it looked like an oddly tall ship... until they noticed it was actually sailing through the air, fifty feet off the water's surface. A strange flow of energy passed along where the waterline's supposed to be. The ship's hull so flawlessly pristine it made every boat at the docks look like floating scrapyards... its appearance much like a ghost ship in this dense mist. And since it's sailing through the air with such grace... just about everyone interpreted it as such.

"O-oh, crap!" Maran whimpered in his delayed response as he backed away, turned, and ran.

The same thing quickly happened across the docks as people panicked and fled, shouts and curses uttered. The crews abandoned their ships, mostly simply jumped over the rails and into the water.. since it's quicker. Even the arrogant dickheads from the Char clan lost their heads and ran like they're a bunch of headless chickens.

Kuln however, just froze. Unable to move even if he wanted to.

Some got the idea of opening fire; shrapnel and bullets alike were hurled at the ship's hull... only to see them swallowed up by bursts of sparkling yellow lights, which then faded.. the hull not even scratched by the attempted attack.

As if summoned, a figure appeared, it had leaped down from the ship's deck, and landed on the ground close by, breaking the concrete underneath it in the process. Such a drop of several dozen meters would have killed anyone.. but the strange being – shrouded by the mist, with glowing beast-like eyes – survived and recovered without effort, with what appeared to be a pair of frighteningly elongated skeletal arms reaching out to the sides, each with a trio of claws at the ends. One of the limbs curled around the wreckage of a truck and, as though it weighed nothing, hoisted it into the air threateningly.

This shattered whatever kept the few remaining stranded here on the docks. They broke ranks, and left in a tremendous hurry.

This left Kuln as the only one remaining, his stare focused on this figure in utter fear. It eventually threw the vehicle aside like it's a twig, tilted its head in his direction... and approached.

Left with only one way to escape, he rolled his eyes into his skull, and fainted.

* * *

_10:53; 5th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Outside Envoy ship – Tuktu City Port_

"What a disaster." Bertoni said quietly as he looked around the now-empty docks as the guards that left the ship before them fanned out across a small area, both protection blessings and Ether rifles at the ready. Tenzou had settled himself onto the top of a nearby boat, his gaze focused outward.

Masazumi stepped off the ship in his wake via the rope that had been lowered from the ship – a gravity blessing applied to it, which allows people to move normally along any surface where it's used – and went to stand aside the treasurer, "I knew there would be some culture shock.. but not nearly this bad."

"So what now?" he fixed her with a oblique glance.

She returned the look, "We need to find a native, then use him or her to contact their leaders." and turned to scan the area until a question presented itself; "Now, where's Nate?"

"I am here, lady Masazumi." the half-werewolf called out, her sharp ears picked up their chatter easily. "I have found that which you seek."

Masazumi took a second to process that, "You've found someone?" and navigated in the direction Nate's voice came from, until she found her looming over a body lying on the ground. A man in his late thirties or early forties from the looks of it. His clothes all brown from dirt and such long use whatever color used to be on had faded away. He also appeared to be unconscious, "Did you harm him?"

"He merely fainted, milady." Nate replied, visibly trying not to inhale through her nostrils. Though sharp, her impressive sensory capability is a double-edged sword, "How rude."

Her first thought was to have Nate wake him up, but decided to take precautionary measures before that, "Disarm him before he awakens."

The knight complied, and reached down to rifle through his pockets, and under the jacket till she found a weapon stuffed into the back of his pants. Her eyes widened at the sight of it as she pulled the gun out for everyone to see. A pistol that was a strong contender for the arm-cannon title. Impossibly crude in appearance – at least compared with their own firearms – with an oversized barrel.

While primitive, it managed to convey itself as a very dangerous gun to Masazumi, who invisibly shrank away from it. Nate on the other hand examined it a little, her hand curled around the gun's handle with a finger on its trigger. She almost visibly gave the thought to fire off a single round some consideration, but ultimately decided against it. "For a sidearm, this thing seem rather excessive." it was easy enough to guess just by checking the length and width of the barrel. Such a high-caliber weapon could make a real mess out of any human it's pointed at.

"Indeed. But throw it away and wake him up.. Let's see if we can talk him into helping us."

"No need to, lady Masazumi-"

* * *

"-He is awakening as we speak."

Kuln stirred and felt pain surge across his back and as he writhed against the ground from the fall he certainly brought upon himself for having lost consciousness like that. But he was surprised at his own survival in the face of what he remembered as the approach of a monster.

He gasped and opened his eyes.. the absence of his Boltok pistol immediately noted, and came to look upon the same glowing eyes he remembered from the monster he had seen, only to see now it belonged to beautiful young girl with long silver hair, and an equally young girl to the left with long black hair and dark brown eyes. Kuln blinked and looked around further, and found the numerous armed soldiers crowding the area with weapons unrecognizable to him. But most of all, he was stricken by the sheer complexity of the strangers' choice of clothing, especially that of the two girls closest to him, and the blonde man approaching him in turn - formal, unusual and extremely clean.

Then there's the ship, it still hovered above the harbor. _Did these people come out of that thing...?_

The man sat up, his face twisted into a mask of confusion, "What... who are you? What is that thing?! Where did you guys come from?! Answer me!"

"Calm down." the black-haired girl told him with the downward wave of a gloved hand, "I am Masazumi Honda, my colleagues here-" and gave a nod to the other girl and the man in turn; "Nate Mitotsudaira and Shirojiro Bertoni. We represent the city-state of Musashi."

An awkward pause followed as Kuln tried to process that information; "Er, Mu-sa-shi? N-never heard of it..." he wracked his memory for his geographic lessons from many years ago for anything that might resemble that name, but found none. And that was without counting all the questions that now ran laps around his brain.. _What is that ship? How does it fly? Is this Nate the one who lifted that truck? How? How did she survive that fall? What are these people?_ All of these thoughts swirled around until he settled on that word that girl Masazumi used; _represent_. "D-did you come to participate in the conference?" his brain had pretty much broken down trying to process all of those questions.

The strangers exchanged glances, Masazumi regarded him a little more closely now.

* * *

_So there is something big going on here after all..._ Masazumi thought inwardly. "Conference?"

"Y-yeah. Many Stranded clans wanted the discussion on the table, whether to strike against the COG while they're weak, or not. So our territory was chosen as a neutral meeting ground. Since we're most accessible."

_Stranded? COG?_ Masazumi thought about it. So that's what these people call themselves; _Stranded._ COG sounded like it might just be the abbreviated name of an organization of some kind.. but what kind...? She wanted to know.. but honestly, it had to wait.

But if the other clans lived in the same conditions as this one though.. they're in no condition to start a conflict.

"Okay. We're not here with the interest of making war. But we would like to join the conference if possible."

The man thought of it, and looked as thought it was giving him a migraine.. "Er, I could take you there."

"That would be deeply appreciated, thank you." she told him with a friendly smile, which served as sufficient encouragement to get up from the ground. However, he was visibly startled when Masazumi opened the chat with the wave of a hand:

[Vice-President]: Tenzou, come. We're about to head for the native's camp. Margot, keep the ship safe."

[10-ZO]: Aye, milady.

[Gold-Maru]: Jud, be safe.

[Me]: Good luck, Seijun. Just don't crack any jokes, okay?

She closed the window with a sigh and a trembling fist, and waited for Tenzou to join them - which did not take him more than a couple of seconds - before addressing the native again, "Okay. We're ready to go, lead the way." To avoid another incident, they would approach the settlement on foot.

"Right.." the man said, "This way."

* * *

_11:31; 5th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Tuktu City – Downtown_

The city looked bad enough from afar, but up close, it looked downright miserable. The small party maneuvered through the main street that lead to the front entrance of the shantytown further in. Tenzou maintained a careful vigil over the rest, particularly Masazumi – who seemed like she's having a little bit of a hard time in this wildly uneven terrain.

But so far so good. He did not perceive any threat, and anything not discovered by his eyes would be found by Nate's even sharper senses.

He was disturbed by the view though. Nothing seemed to grow here inside the city. Just broken concrete and granite for as long as the eye could see. Eventually, Bertoni spoke up in a hushed tone:

"The sheer amount of materials needed to rebuild.. One could make a fortune here."

Tenzou dipped his head, "Right on the money, as always."

They wandered past one of the holes in the road, which the ninja leaned to the side to peer into. It seemed to go on forever into the darkness below. He wanted to ask the native about it, but Bertoni accurately guessed what he was about to do, and shook his head, "Save your questions. Let the Vice-President handle this."

Tenzou reluctantly ceded the question, "J-jud."

They rounded another corner, and finally came upon the wall of the town inside this city. One built through the use of rusty vehicles and any assortment of metal one could fetch. It explained the lack of wrecks these last few streets. Atop the wall, above the lone gate – made from an old-fashioned metal garage door – a man sat. His eyes immediately focused on the small group, and recognized their guide.

"Kuln, where the hell did you go... All these folks just came and start yelling about some ghost ship bullshit. What happened, man... and who're they?"

"Yo, Matt. It's tough to explain, but these came to participate in the conference, is all. Open the door will ya?"

"Shit. You sure about that? I mean, they could be..."

"Yea, that ghost ship you mentioned.. these folks are part of its crew."

"Huh? Er, wait a bit.. need to check with the boss. Hold a minute."

And just like that, the man rolled out of view. On the far side, it sounded like things are just a stone toss away from a riot.

As if out of instinct, Nate moved closer to Masazumi. And following her example, Tenzou did the same. Out of all of them, the Vice-President's the only noncombatant. Bertoni could handle himself just fine. He was the one who beat a ten ton God of War into the ground, after all. Of course he'd need a broker, but Heidi's just one divine transmission away.

"Lady.." Tenzou whispered, with one hand tilted covertly against his tanto.

"Easy." Masazumi said, her expression one of firm concentration, as if trying to perceive what could happen next. "I doubt there's gonna be a problem."

Not fully as confident, the ninja stood fully alert. He expected hostility would crop up at any moment, and swore to be ready if anything happened.

* * *

_11:35 – 14 A.E._

_Tuktu City – Town hall_

Matt pushed through the crowds inside the town hall. All the foreigners that had fled into the settlement had gathered within to alert their leaders. But from the looks of it, all of them were ushered out by armed guards that would ensure the meeting would face no further disturbance. Evidently, the participants of the conference wanted to hear nothing about a damned ghost ship, and demanded their respective crews to go back.

And probably wanted no further interruption.

Still, Matt tried to brave the guards now standing outside the meeting room - though he had no desire of wading into that ocean of sharks beyond the door. Thankfully, one of the guards faced him off immediately.

"Matt, what are you doing here? Your shift ain't over yet."

"H-hey, bear with me – okay? Kuln just got back, and he's got some more who wants in on this here conference."

The guards exchanged glances.

"Huh? Thought all clan leaders able to come were accounted for."

"Those folks ain't no Stranded, man. Neither are they COG. They're just... something else. Kuln said they came outta that ghost ship everyone keep yelling about."

"... I'll tell the boss. Wait here until I get back."

_No problem.. Phew, saved..._

* * *

_11:48; 5th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Tuktu City – Downtown_

It took a while, but they finally got a response. Before them, the gate opened to let them inside the settlement.

Behind her, Nate visibly flinched and redoubled her efforts to avoid taking in the stench of the place. Masazumi sympathized, her nose was not nearly as strong.. but still the smell was obscene. Matt exchanged a few words with Kuln before the latter lead them on through the subsequent streets, full of people living in horridly unhygienic squalid conditions. Shacks and primitive abodes lined the buildings, with pens filled with animals in-between.. together with small patches where the locals are cultivating vegetables.

They passed a stand where a woman cooked some food of questionable standards. Masazumi was almost shocked to discover that the native was cooking a form of freakish bat-creatures. But they barely crossed half the first street before they became the center of attention. A large crowd of Stranded gathered to peer at them.. some close enough were rude enough to touch them.. their clothes to be more specific. More than a few men ogling her and Nate. But what especially earned the stare of plenty, was the half-werewolf's long silver hair, styled into five incredibly voluminous ringlets long enough to very nearly touch the ground.

All this attention was mildly degrading. It's like they're a circus parade.

Fortunately, it was not long till they arrived at the town hall, where they finally escaped the bulk of the crowd.

"They're the worst... the worst." Nate hissed under her breath.

Masazumi leaned close:

"Please bear with it, we're on official business."

"I know that. Does not make me feel any better."

"Here we are." Kuln said as they arrived at a large set of doors, with guards standing at its sides, "This is as far as I can bring you guys.."

"Thank you for your help." Masazumi nodded her thanks.

All the man did though was shrug awkwardly, "Yeah, whatever. I need a drink." and turned to leave.

"Ready then?" she asked the others. The man's words stung a bit, but ultimately, they got bigger things to direct their attention at.. Like maneuvering through the bulwark of an unknown tribal bureaucracy.

All this time, Bertoni's face hadn't changed in the least, "Ready when you are, for a price."

Masazumi rolled her eyes covertly and lead the group to the door ahead. A motion that landed her under the scrutiny of the numerous guards that only moved aside to let them in once it was certain they did not carry any weapons. Or at least, not any they deemed to be a threat.

But as she got close to the door, she heard the argument underway inside, a part of it. The girl placed the palm of her hand against the door, and visibly hesitated as she listened in. The plan was to observe what was going on at first, and enter when an opening presents itself – unless addressed first. But now, at what she just heard.. opened the door with a shove and burst in.

Behind her, Bertoni arced a single eyebrow, and whispered a very quiet and nonchalant; "We're in business."

* * *

"-When are you assholes gonna realize this is the big chance we've been waiting for?!" Griffin almost shouted at the opposition with an underlying growl. Prodding a heavy finger against the wooden table that separated the largely split group of clan-leaders for emphasis.

Just like he was practically leading the pro-war party after hours of back-and-forth deliberation, Janet lead the clans that were against it. An old hag of a woman with a hard-ass attitude, and who liked to adorn her hair with old coins – the closest thing to jewelry now, but worthless now otherwise. She was livid, and fixed him with a withering glare:

"And waste a perfectly good meat-shield?" So long as the COG's around, the grubs will be gunning for them.. not us. We're better off saving our own asses and ammo."

"So you're gonna ignore everything those piece of shit bastards ever did to us?! You've forgotten about the hammer strikes? Everywhere they go, everything they do.. there is always pain, death and misery."

"You are really that obsessed about revenge over taking care of your own people?" a new voice asked as the door flew open with a resounding boom, a young one from the sound of it. Griffin and everyone else present turned to the door, where a small crew of four stood. An odd group of youths with clothes of a craftsmanship that could not possibly exist in this day and age. The one up front, a flat-chested girl with dark hair and eyes approached the table.

Griffin snorted and rose up from his chair – to his full height, and towered over the girl, "And who... the fuck... are you?"

The girl made a sweeping gesture, obviously not intimidated by his posture nor choice of words, "Vice-President Masazumi Honda, my compatriots and I represent the city-state of Musashi. But our purpose here is not about this war you're discussing, but to establish relations, and hopefully, trade."

The former CEO tried to shout down what he saw as a wave of bullshit, but Masazumi practically rolled over him, figuratively speaking:

"But while we are here, please accept the viewpoint of a third party." her eyes on Griffin and his cronies, "Look around you. I am under the impression that everywhere is like this. People living in poor conditions, with few resources at their disposal. And a general lack of everything people would take for granted in a modern society at the height of its prosperity. A small population vulnerable to disease, with few medicines. A limited access to equipment. And you want to form an army out of this and declare war on an enemy that very possibly got access to everything you lack, with the inevitable result being self-destruction all because of your lust for vengeance. Is that not the size of it?"

Janet arced an eyebrow, seemingly impressed. "That is the size of it, yes." even Griffin's supporters looked confused and uncertain.

But Griffin was not about to back down, "Don't listen to her! You heard what she said; Musashi, city-state. You forget that the COG burned everything beyond their plateau with the hammer. I've never even _heard_ of any place by that name!"

"It didn't burn everything. The islands made it out alright. Maybe this city of there are based on an island someplace far away?"

"That does not explain why we've never heard of it before!" the man pointed at the youngsters, "You might all be COG spies for all we know. So tell me your answer, you wordy bitch!"

* * *

Masazumi frowned at the man. At the start of this trip, she had deliberated with the others what to tell the natives. Information from England reveals that this might be a wholly different world altogether, which meant they got two options available.

Either tell them about themselves in full. About the world they came from.. and of the events that brought them here. But from a point of view, it is undeniably the most risky. Presumably, it would be too hard to swallow.. with the predictable outcome being isolation due to being labeled as lunatics... advanced tech or not. And they needed a speedy solution to their problems... thus:

She would instead package their story in a way that would make it easier to accept. It could cause problems later if they ever learned the truth.. which _would_ damage the Musashi's reputation. But it's the fastest way to solve the current issues.

"What you said, is correct." she gave Janet a nod, "Our city-state exist far out at sea, and until recently have practiced overly strict isolationist policies we abolished just recently. Because of the same policies, we knew very little of the situation on the mainland. But know this.. we are interested in lending you aid, in great part through mutually-beneficial aid. Thanks to our culture's heavy focus on R&D, we possess the most advanced technologies in the world. We are willing to give you limited access to our technology in exchange for basic necessities we believe you may be capable of supplying."

Griffin's hostile visage faded slightly, and took more a business-like stance. He did not relinquish his views.. but if the strangers truly does possess it, he could use it in an eventual war against the hated COG, "Well then, if you're looking for fuel, then you need not go any further. Our Imulsion-"

"-Is useless to us." Bertoni barked as he came to stand next to Masazumi. She had no idea what Imulsion even is, neither did the merchant, but they could safely guess what this fuel might be, by giving the natives' tech a look. They were probably just sufficiently advanced to utilize air power, nuclear power, gas, petroleum, and so on. All of which are indeed useless to the Musashi.

To the satisfaction of most people within the room, except those who might also only have fuel to trade away, Griffin was noticeably deflated by Bertoni's crass interruption, "Our treasurer.." Masazumi presented him; "Shirojiro Bertoni."

"We have too little space to expand our fields after a recent... crisis." he continued, playing along; "Thus we seek to invest in food from the mainland. However, if you worry about limitations in regard to your own fields, we are willing to provide assistance to facilitate large-scale agriculture."

Janet looked like she had just dropped head-first from the moon itself, overwhelmed. Same with many of those around her, "Th-that is... extremely generous, but it's dangerous... with the grubs and all."

"You mentioned those before.. what are they?" Masazumi wondered aloud.

Griffin snorted, "You're joking."

"They said they used to be isolationist, asshole. Besides, the grubs probably haven't checked the outlying islands at all." Janet chewed him out, then turned back to the girl; "Grubs, or Locust.. monsters that started to come out of the ground fourteen years ago. They were the ones who started this damned war, and is still trying to wipe us out. They murdered billions already on day one. It's gotten quiet lately, but we're still on our toes, preparing to head for someplace else if the grubs come for us. What can we do otherwise...?"

Masazumi felt sick to her gut as she attempted to process that piece of information. For a moment, she was too busy trying to process the thought of billions of dead in a single day, as the stranded claimed. That is, until Nate sent a suggestion via chat. The window which popped out of thin air in front of her made more than a few of the stranded leaders jump in their seats. She read it, and nodded; "One possible solution is to establish a protectorate. Which means you who decide to open relations and trade with us will be under the protective aegis of Musashi's military."

_But there's the difficulty. Musashi doesn't have much of a military beyond that based on the city-fleet for self-defense. Other than that, we only have a small fleet of transport ships, and the envoy ship we came with. But... maybe we could try to convert a few of them into warships..._

"Does that sound satisfactory?" she asked.

"It does sound good." Janet partly murmured, deep in thought.. "Lots of ground to cover though. You got some serious mobility?"

"Yes, we do."

"Wait, hold – the fuck – it!" Griffin once again invaded the conversation, addressing everyone. With nothing to offer besides fuel he was looking at the evaporation of his own power to affect the other clans. "She's trying to bribe you. You wanna end up like all those poor schmucks who were part of the COG, and got stabbed in the back during the hammer strikes? You're letting these damned newcomers take away your freedoms!"

"Oh, so _now_ you're worried about liberties. Asshole." one from Janet's side huffed. "We got the chance to finally get out past lives back proper. So _what_ if they wanna establish some sort of alliance? They're not COG.. and that's good enough, far as I'm concerned."

Some others nodded at that, but a few took note of Griffin's side of the argument and generally agreed with him.

"Fine." the former CEO stood up and picked up his staff, "You wanna become someone's lambs, ready for the slaughter? Fine, join the damned protectorate.. But don't come crying to me like a bunch of whiny bitches once you realize what you've done." and motioned to leave the room.. a dozen of the other leaders, including a pair from Janet's side, proceeded to get up and leave alongside him. Freedom was the key word here, it was obvious those people wanted to keep it at any cost.

Masazumi said nothing to stop them. It was their decision. But more than enough potential trading partners stayed behind. She was momentarily worried about what this split might mean for the future, but brushed it aside.

With Griffin out of the way, Janet addressed her again; "We're going to need a few days to talk this over amongst ourselves before we sign anything. So.. till then, in case you have to go, what is the frequency we can use to contact you?"

_With their current technology, they're probably still using radio waves – which won't reach us. _"We will supply you with something to facilitate contact. A gesture of good will, if you will." Masazumi reopened the chat:

[Vice-President]: Naomasa, is it finished?

[Smoking woman]: Just waiting for your approval. Here.

[Novice]: Time for me to enter the stage then?

[Poor Retainer]: Don't go overboard, please.

A sign frame opened next to the chat-window, which informed that the items are ready for transfer. With a click on the sign frame, it shattered into pieces which immediately floated into the air above her, formed additional sign frames – each with the word 'Summon' engraved. From each, a component slid out in a burst of light. The pieces converged at the hand Masazumi held out to accept the delivery, and put themselves together until a single rectangular white/green-colored device came to rest in her palm.. which she proceeded to place on the table.

Masazumi smiled a little at how stunned the crowd appeared. To them, this was very much like a magic show. "Here, you can use this to link up with our clerk. All you need to do, is push this button." she directed their attention to the lone button located in the middle of the device.

Janet stood up and walked around the table, and experimentally pressed the button.. after which she was greeted to a divine transmission, as an image of Musashi's SC clerk appeared above the item, and showed off a cheerful grin:

"Greetings. Toussaint Neshinbara at your service."

Masazumi almost rolled her eyes. Neshinbara had probably rehearsed something more grandiose, and just barely kept it at bay. "Only got one to give away at the moment. We did not expect to see such a grandiose meeting when we came here. Hope this one will do for now."

"Yes." the stranded chief nodded breathlessly, "Very much."

"Now then... before we take our leave, and let you process all that's been said – in peace.." Bertoni reentered the conversation, "Let us go through a few remaining details."

The meeting had gone better than they had dared to hope for. Masazumi fought down the elation to remain composed as the merchant took it the rest of the way. Which left her to invest her attention on other lines of thought. About the COG these Stranded kept mentioning.

And the genocidal monsters they refer to as... the Locust.

_We're going to have our hands full for a while..._

* * *

_20:16 – 14 A.E._

_Makeshift camp – Kashkur highlands_

The sun was dipping slowly back into the horizon as night once again greeted the lands. In the middle of the largely untouched forest that covered the landscape, a small camp existed, partially hidden by the extensive foliage, and consisted of a small circle of vehicles surrounded by small tents, and a lone campfire in the middle. A tiny group that consists of what might be the last Pesanga on Sera.

Sitting on top of one of the vehicles on the other hand, was from the southern islands, a former Gear who left Jacinto in a state of deep depression after the hammer strikes. A man by the name of Padrick Salton.

He sat there, partly on lookout.. and to enjoy the view, with his Longshot resting on his lap.

"Food's ready Pad." Harua – wife of Bai Tak, who died during the Pendulum wars – called out, "Come and get some."

"Coming." Pad called back in pesan.

But the moment he was about to get off, he felt the slightest tremor.. and was just about ready to call for everyone to get into cover as it grew stronger.. until the thing that caused it emerged. Not from the ground though.. it was actually caused by something in the air above them.

In the camp, the laughs and conversations died down. A few on the way to fetch their weapons... only to stop and stare with open mouths, stunned as what just appeared above.

Sailing effortlessly through the air above the trees... a massive fleet of outwardly rectangular-shaped ships passed. The ground shook, but the noise made by the fleet itself was almost nonexistent. A few of them being big enough to qualify as battleships, their hulls covered with turrets that sported a menacing array of weaponry, surrounded by a swarm of ships of various – but smaller – sizes. Including hundreds of small craft that could qualify as corvettes.

It passed overhead, without paying any attention to those on the ground.. of which Pad was thankful for – his Longshot suddenly felt so pitifully small in his arms.

"What are those?" Harua's words eventually found their way to his ears as he watched the fleet slowly continue into the distance.. towards destinations unknown.

"I don't know, Harua... I don't know. But whatever it is... I hope it's friendly."

* * *

**Author note**: And here it is. Was thinking of which named characters from GoW canon would appear first. And ended up with Aaron Griffin, who we see shortly in the third game. And Pad, whose only appearance has been in the books so far.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Suspicions**

* * *

_08:31 – 14 A.E._

_Kashkuri highlands_

It was curiosity that drove him to follow the fleet. That, Pad chose to admit amidst the trip. He discussed it at length with Harua, and got her and the others to cover up the camp more and keep weapons in hand while he's out to check if the fleet has landed anywhere close – depending on the strangers' intentions if it has, the camp needed to be uprooted and moved somewhere else.

Ten days, that's how much days he convinced them to give him. If he didn't return by that time, they should assume he's dead or captured, and leave.

Of those days, four had already gone by as he moved through the forest and scaled the many cliffs and hills along the way – Longshot in hand.

It was the direction in which the fleet was headed that plagued him. There is only one place in particular in that direction.. the best place to set a foothold in all of the land that used to be Kashkur. And he saw it finally in the far distance, just past the next hill:

Anvegad. Otherwise known as Anvil Gate. A fortress city that used to be a COG garrison during the Pendulum wars.

And the sight, confirmed his suspicions. The strange fleet had set up shop around and within the perimeter of the old city. Most of it had landed, though a few ships remained in the air, idle.

It was strangely majestic, otherwordly, but also a somehow... sorrowful a sight. Pad watched as though entranced, and debated inwardly on whether to take a chance for a closer look... or go back. Before he could do either though... a pair of blades slid into his vision, together with an emotionless feminine voice; "Drop your weapon. You have nine seconds to comply."

The man almost jumped, and considered bolting away from the blades, turn and get a good shot on the one who ambushed him. Ultimately, he chose not to risk it, with too many people relying on him to act recklessly. Whoever had gotten the drop on him like this, was no amateur. Pad lowered his weapon down to the ground and raised his arms into the air in turn.

"Wise choice. Now stand, and turn around slowly."

Pad did as instructed, and slowly turned. But to his surprise, came face to face with a young woman dressed in what appeared to be a very impractical suit for terrain like this... colored in screaming red, white and pink – with a generous cleavage-window and a tall hat on top of that. But what struck him the most happened to be her huge prosthetic arms. It felt like his past reputation as the best scout and sniper in the COG had taken a punch to the gut.

She looked back at him searchingly, with such deeply sad eyes.

"Hey." he tried to communicate, "I didn't come here to cause trouble, alright?"

Her only initial response was the slight arcing of an eyebrow. It was like she's more a machine than a human being. But when she moved further, it was not to talk.. but to apply a punch to his gut.

Pad keeled over as the oversized fist of her prosthetic arm connected, and could feel himself slip into unconsciousness as he leaned against the arm that proceeded to put him over her shoulder as she turned to – presumably – head for Anvil Gate.

* * *

_10:32 – 14 A.E._

_Anvil Gate_

Pad felt strangely nostalgic as he finally woke up to see the interior of a very recognizable office – though old and damaged from lack of maintenance for so many years. He curled up slightly from the pain still in his gut from that rock-hard punch he got what felt like minutes ago.

"You were too hard on him, Gin." the voice of an elderly man reached his ears, "Help him up, would you?"

Momentarily, two hands landed on his shoulders and pulled him into a chair. The man looked over his shoulder to see the pair of armored guards flanking him from behind. Like was the case with the woman, their armor's colorful. It made him think of the ancient battlefields where commanders needed their soldiers to wear clothing that would make them easier to identify. It was archaic, but far from outdated. The COG and UIR subscribed to that practice during the Pendulum wars, if only in the stark difference in armored suit-design. But these could have chosen colors better suited for the battlefield than white and red. Might as well paint a huge bull's eye on them.

In front on the other hand stood the girl he met earlier.. along with the elderly man the earlier words probably belonged to. Formally dressed, with the addition of what looked like a fur-coat.

"I apologize for what brutality my subordinates have treated you with. But these are... difficult times."

"Oh yeah?" Pad almost growled the question, "Who the hell are you people?"

"... We're all from Tres España. I am Chancellor and SC President Felipe Segundo. And this, who you've already had the... ahem... pleasure to meet, is 2nd Special Duty Officer Tachibana Gin."

"Never heard of it.."

"Guessed as much." Felipe acknowledged with a shake of his head, looking rather merry – if sad. "Let's just say it's a long story. We ended up in this new land due to unfortunate circumstances, and ventured this far inland to avoid harmful conflict with the other powers in the wake of said circumstances."

"You mean the Locust?" Pad asked, listening with understandable skepticism. But then again, with the hyper-advanced fleet outside, there had to be some merit to the man's words.

Felipe tilted his head, "Locust?"

"Yeah.. big gray-skinned ugly bastards seeking to wipe out the human race?" He let a summary-description slip out, and the Chancellor seemed quite taken aback, "Sure hope they haven't taken some of your ships, whatever the hell those are, cause I am loathe to see any grubs fly around with the ships you got."

"... I can assure you, none of said circumstances had anything to do with these... Locust. Perhaps you could shed some light, your name and affiliation for instance."

"... Padrick Salton, though friends just call me Pad. I used to be a sniper during my time as a Gear under the Coalition of Ordered Governments, otherwise referred to as the COG. Now, I just want to ensure the safety of the last Pesanga." He hadn't revealed any locations, nor codes, so an answer of this extent was fine.

It looked like a string of new words to Felipe as he mentally made notes, "I see. These Pesanga, I assume they're an ethnic group?"

"They are. Very few are left because of this war.. the Locust killed most of the humanity.. I was surprised that any Pesanga had survived at all."

The guards shifted uncomfortably, and Felipe looked like he was going to be sick, "How many dead because of the war you mentioned?"

"Billions. With their choice of timing, they probably waited till we had bled ourselves dry in the Pendulum wars, and then struck in the belief we were at our weakest."

"Were you?"

"I don't know. Would we have stood a better chance if we were united from the beginning, or would they have wiped us out already if we weren't already hardened by decades of conflict? We'll never know."

"Such abhorrent..." Felipe just barely caught himself. He looked down at the floor, as if expecting something to burst up through it at any moment. "How long since it began?"

Pad was puzzled. Felipe was either an excellent actor.. or truly had no knowledge of the war, as if he and the other strangers were from a different planet. "Fourteen years so far. Don't know. Left the army a few years after the Hammer of Dawn counterattack. Couldn't handle it.."

"Hammer of Dawn?"

"The weapon that ended the Pendulum wars, how can you not know about it? It's an orbital network of satellites armed with beam-weaponry. The COG bombed the crap out of the entire planet outside the Jacinto plateau when we all stared defeat in the eye. Killed millions of the bastards... but killed millions of our own too." Pad explained with a heavy mind. At the start, he was ready to resist giving answers to any questions the strangers might have. But this Felipe was... He had the look of someone who has lost everything, but soldiered on anyway, because there were little choice in the matter. Not very different from himself, and everyone he had served with. A part of him simply wanted to answer the guy's question, "We bought time, by burning most of the planet's surface to cinders."

"An act of desperation... "

"But most of the survivors outside the plateau hated us for it. Instead of helping against the Locust, they went into hiding... built shantytowns... and generally became a bunch of unhelpful parasites. And I can't blame them for that. I really can't."

"I see." Felipe sighed, and turned to look squarely at Pad. "... You stand to be a great source of information for us."

"Hmpf, I cannot stay."

"Because you want to go back to the Pesanga, I'm sure."

"Indeed."

"Then we simply need to come to an agreement that may benefit the both of us." the Chancellor spent a moment to think it over before he made the offer; "How about this, if we put the Pesanga under our protection – would you consider becoming our guide?"

"... Part of me want to accept, but another says I need to think it over first."

"How long do you need?"

"A couple of days, then I need to go. If I choose not to help, can I still leave?"

"Two days. That's acceptable. If you choose not to help after that, you're free to go."

Gin looked like she was going to interject, but held her tongue.

The following silence was total, except the noise of what was going on outside. Sounded like the fleet crews are trying to restore the place as best they can.

Pad needed only a moment, "Alright."

Felipe smiled, "Good. Enjoy what hospitality we can offer for the duration of your stay here. We may all seem rather stiff, but the people of Tres España are quite a merry bunch."

_Two days, huh_. Pad thought as he was soon released to leave the office, Gin following in his wake after a few words exchanged with the Chancellor. Stopping only to look out a window along the way as he felt the rush of nostalgia make its return. The view not marred by the crowds of strangers and the eccentric ships in the sky above. _Now then... should I trust these folks, Harua?_

* * *

_12:50; 9th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Kraken class warship "Yamato" – Lesser islands_

Adele yawned in mild boredom as she looked over the bridge from the captain's seat – who instead stood next to her at rapt attention. Being a student of class 3-Plum did have its perks.

Four days had gone by since first contact with the locals, and one day since the Musashi Protectorate charter had been drafted and ratified by Musashi Ariadust Academy and the Stranded clans that decided to join.

To the side, a re-run of the grand ceremony was shown via sign frame. Masazumi shown shaking hands with the Stranded clans' chosen representative; Janet.

Since then, the real hard work began. Under the aegis of Musashi, the Stranded would provide what resources they can through agriculture and fishing in exchange for protection and help to rebuild.

It was a historic event. Never before has Musashi ever accumulated this much political power.

But to protect such scattered settlements, a navy is needed. The city-fleet itself was kept out of sight for the time being. The Stranded thought they came from an island.. the sight of a gigantic city-fleet would be a huge shock to them.

And that's where this ship came in.

The Yamato used to part of Musashi's humble fleet of cargo ships, but had been refitted to serve as a warship – the first of four – and renamed accordingly. It was released from docks just a couple of hours ago.

The novelty of the occasion wore off quickly enough, though.

Design-wise, it was no different from before.. except the addition of six turrets to the frame. Two on top, four below. Each mounted with two stacks of four ether cannons each – basically the armament of Mechanical shells cobbled together.

It was far from the strength of a real warship, but would do what it was refitted to do just fine.

As long as they don't plan to throw it against an enemy fleet without support.

"Coming up on the island now." the navigation' officer reported.

Adele leaned forward to focus on the holo-table before her, as the image of a oval-shaped island came into view. It looked like the island's the crater and rim of an extinct volcano. Filled with lowlands, forests, highlands, and rivers. At least five thousand square kilometers in size. Filled to the brim with life.

The data on the island kept scrolling down an additional sign frame as Adele thought back on the reason for them being here:

* * *

_One day ago. 14:38; 8__th__ June; 1648; Testament era_

_Tuktu City – Town hall_

"What would we have done without you, Hassan?" Masazumi said quietly as she watched the guy hand out plates of Curry that had proven to be a huge hit so far._ If not for him, we'd be forced to eat grilled bats... or whatever those things are._

The Stranded barely had any manners at all as they dug in.. though it's probably their first time with that kind of meal in years. The kids that were born after the war started especially loved the food.

Masazumi ended up standing by the wall with a cup of water, arms folded across her chest. Watching the ongoing celebrations with a smallish smile on her lips.

Across the room, those who came along for the ceremony today mingled somewhat with the crowd. Bertoni chatting with the ones who brought the brew... possibly about future business opportunities. Adele and Nate walked together, maintaining a somewhat professional attitude – Nate being the only one to accept the clumsily done meat the locals had to offer. Toori expressed an interest to come along earlier, but everyone pulled a Tsukommi on him for that... and left him gagged and bound in a closet for Horizon to pick up once she's done at Blue Thunder for the day.

On the other hand, Kimi's here too. The incredibly well-endowed fellow classmate walked through the place like an insurmountable mountain. All the Stranded who saw her were left with their faces stuck in silent screams of sheer disbelief. The girl probably enjoyed the attention... and had nothing to fear. If a fighter like Futayo couldn't lay her low, a bunch of uncouth thugs wouldn't stand a chance.

"Hello there."

Masazumi blinked and winced as a hand landed on the wall next to her head. A bearded guy, apparently drunk, leaned towards her.

"Er, hello. Massy, was it?"

The man grinned, it was a grisly sight, "Aye, that's me. Saw sense and left that dumb-ass Griffin."

"And you're welcome..." she replied as curtly as possible. But he was leaning too close.

"Thank ye. Hic. Now, when will we get all that nice tech you talked about..?"

"It will be distributed in moderation, just to help you get started. More will be made available once you got something to trade."

"Oh? I'd love a lot of it right now actually. Hic." he leaned even closer, and made the girl feel extremely uncomfortable. "Maybe we could... arrange something, huh. Ye smell pretty good by the way."

It wasn't a question. "I won't make special exceptions for anyone... mister Massy. Just be patient, for now."

"I've got plenty to trade away, lots of nice goods. Let's talk more privately, shall we?"

"N-no thanks." Masazumi began to pull away, but was stopped as he landed his other hand on the other side – barring her escape.

"That ain't nice, little lady. I'm a pretty swell guy. Hic. Ya know."

Thankfully, the situation defused quickly as a hand landed on his shoulder. Nate along with Adele now standing behind him, "She told you quite clearly, mister. No means no."

Massy looked about ready to include her as well – which no one would do to a half-werewolf, unless they got a death-wish. But reconsidered clearly as the girl's sharp fingers dug into his shoulder. "Alright, just messing around." he said, and backed off.. "But just ye wait and see, I've got tons of goods to hand over, babe. You'll see."

"We'll see." Masazumi nodded nervously as he turned and walked away. "Thank you, Nate."

The knight came a little closer, "I apologize for taking so long. Did he do anything to you?"

"Just a little shaken." the girl exhaled.

"I do not trust him." Nate commented.

"Maybe he was just... drunk. Otherwise... yeah, think we need to look deeper here. Lots of goods – the only thing the Stranded seem to have in abundance other than scrap until developed further is fuel. This so-called Imulsion."

"Shall I?" Nate offered.

"No. Adele?"

"Yes?" the retainer asked.

"Go to Bertoni, and see if Massy has given the location of his place yet. Failing that, ask the other leaders."

"I can do that. Want me to go and investigate the place?"

"Yeah." Masazumi lowered her voice to a whisper, "The Engineering Club's nearly done refitting the newly rechristened Yamato. You and Nate have my permission to take command of the ship upon its launch, and head to his village's location... for a thorough investigation. Make sure you're not seen unless it's an emergency."

"Jud." Nate and Adele responded together. "I believe Suzu's help could prove invaluable for this mission, by the way." the retainer commented.

The Vice-president smiled. Suzu's the heart of Class 3-Plum. She's blind.. but her perceptiveness combined with the outstanding capability of her hearing aid makes her a force to be reckoned with in her own right, "Hm, you're right. If she's available, go ahead and ask her."

Adele smiled, "Jud. Will do."

"But for now, let's try to enjoy what's left of the party.." Masazumi said... just as Kimi began to sing in the distance, which elicited a roar from the audience... especially the male part of it.

"Jud."

* * *

_Today. 12:53; 9th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Kraken class warship "Yamato" – Above Vectes_

Adele continued to review the data gathered so far when the door at the rear of the bridge opened. "H-have we arrived?"

"Yes, Suzu. We just did." the retainer responded gently. "And it looks quite legit so far. Start the camouflage, and bring us closer." she then told the navigation officer.

The camouflage of this ship wasn't nearly as grand as the one Musashi's equipped with. Instead, it used gravity blessings to draw moisture in the air towards the ship to create a cloud of mist around it. One extensive enough not to be too conspicuous.

Next, as Suzu walked past her timidly, she opened up several sign frames to display imagery of the island itself, "Beautiful place, no?"

The Captain shrugged.

"M-mm..." Suzu hummed very quietly as she sat down at the sensory console, rolled out a cable from her hearing aid and slotted it into the console. A tiny gasp escaping her lips as she accepted sensory data, "This is... the world."

Adele was amazed. Suzu's addition extended the ship's sensory range significantly. "Nate, are you there?" she communicated through the subsequent divine transmission. The half-werewolf sitting outside, on the top-most deck.

"I am here. Ready to begin?"

"Aye. Mission begins now."

"A-Adele." Suzu addressed her, possibly picking something up already.

"Yes?"

"I h-hear activity... e-everywhere. But there seems to be... two villages."

Adele leaned forward, "Two, you said? Where?"

Suzu shuddered, probably frightened by something she heard. The crew waited patiently for the submissive girl to answer, "H-here."

Two dots popped up on the map. One big, and a small one. On the opposite sides of the island.

"Good work." Adele complimented her friend. "Bring us in to the big one for a closer look." and waited the following minutes as the ship came closer to the village below.. though technically they kept a healthy distance from the surface. A few of the place's denizens looking up at the mist that suddenly drifted in past the coastline.

Below them stood a nice little village filled with nicely built low-set wooden buildings, data indicating a population of at least three thousand.

It wasn't a shantytown at all, everyone noticed. It's a humble fishing village. A harbor filled with boats, with workers and fishers crowding the place. Children playing with one another. Smattering of house pets here and there. People going to work and whatever other business they headed for. A completely ordinary and idyllic place. A fully functional society with no deficiencies.

These people did not look like Stranded at all.

Adele found what looked like a flag-pole, opened up an image of it.. and identified the old flag at the top of it. One adorned with the imagery of a cog. "A cog? Didn't the Stranded always mention an enemy they referred to as the 'COG'?"

"Yes. They did." Nate communicated. "Griffin's faction wanted nothing more than to to destroy them."

"Hm. This can't possibly be Massy's territory then. Yet the directions we were given leads to this place."

"U-uh.." Suzu almost squealed, "I-I just heard a 'm-moo'."

"Moo?" Nate and Adele asked together, then it occurred to them:

"Bring us further inland." Adele ordered. Into her ear, Nate sang something quite ham-related.

As the ship moved inland, they found large stretches of farmland, together with herds of livestock. Thousands of animals. Cows. Sheep. Pigs. Poultry.

Adele could practically hear Nate salivate over the divine transmission at the smell coming from down there. They came here to look into Massy's claims, but found an ideal trading partner along the way. Thoughtfully, she gave her next order: "Set course for the other settlement."

More than ten minutes passed as they flew at nearly full speed across the island.. until they came upon the other settlement. In start contrast to the one they already checked out, this other village's practically a backwater.

It was nothing impressive. A filthy shantytown, even by Stranded standards – though they hadn't seen more settlements beyond the one in Tuktu City before this. Population read as almost a thousand. Lots of shacks, and an awful lot carrying weapons. A few garages could also be seen, or what passed as such. And quite a few boats along the shore.

"Okay, I bet this is Massy's territory."

"Without a doubt." Nate agreed.

"It sure doesn't have anything that qualify as 'tons of goods'. That is... unless..."

"Unless they steal it from the other settlement. Curs."

"So what will be your decision?" the captain inquired.

Adele thought about that, "Hm. Head to the southern coast. We'll hunker down there while maintaining surveillance. If they intend to steal from the other village, we'll wait for them to act, and then intervene on their targets' behalf. Nate, let Masazumi know."

"Jud." the captain and Nate replied in turn.

_It will take Massy at least another ten hours to get back. But I wonder if his folks will attempt the theft before that. No choice but to wait, and see._

* * *

_23:20; 9th June; 1648; Testament era_

_Kraken class warship "Yamato" – Southern shore of Vectes_

The hours ticked by slowly as the surveillance continued. Adele occasionally slipped in and out of sleep amidst the wait for anything that might happen. The crew went through a few shifts, every break used to either eat, rest or sleep. While they waited, and watched.. they found out about a large base located on the island. But without anything to interest them, it was left as is.

Suzu on the other hand remained at the console diligently. She was quite fascinated with the use of the ship's sensors to 'observe' the day turning in to let the night take over.

"Anything yet?" Nate asked as she entered the bridge. The half-werewolf decided to get inside as it got darker. It would be quite bad for stealth if the natives suddenly heard someone howl at the moon out at sea where there's not supposed to be anyone at this hour. At least, it'd give away their position if anyone heard.

"It's still quiet." Adele hummed. The only movement till now was that of Massy's boat, a blue dinghy, as he made his return to his territory.

But then, Suzu suddenly flinched, "Eek."

The whole crew was alarmed immediately, Nate the first to ask; "What is it?"

"I... I hear motors starting. A lot of them."

"A lot?" Adele opened up the map and had Suzu designate them. At least fifteen dots moving away from Massy's settlement by sea – along with a quartet which must be vehicles going inland by the road, "Okay. They're beginning." and triggered a divine transmission to the entire crew, "All personnel, get ready. Man the battle stations. I repeat, man the battle stations. We're moving out!"

* * *

_02:35 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan town hall_

Lewis Gavriel scratched his head as he prepared to go home. It had been yet another peaceful and productive day. It had been years since they lost contact with the mainland, and had to rely on what little information they could get from visitors... that is, those who didn't come here acting like a bunch of assholes. The town folks had long since lost patience with the Stranded... now it's shoot to kill on sight.

In the belief that Massy's folks would continue to leave them alone... Lewis turned off the lights and left the building. But no further did he come before an alarm went off, the bell ringing in the distance. Across the street, Deputy Mayor William came and cried out; "To arms! The Stranded are coming! To arms!"

The mayor looked up and listened intently, and heard the very distant roars of massed motorboats. They're coming alright, and lots of them. Lewis dashed back into the town hall, opened up the closet in his office and pulled out the shotgun inside along with all the buckshot he could carry, and ran back out to make for the harbor.

Everyone with a gun left their houses in a hurry, most wearing little but night clothes. Dogs barked as their owners prepared to release them. All trained to hunt and bring down Stranded.

It was difficult in the beginning. To arm themselves and get used to the fighting needed to keep the parasites out. But now, they had a sort of system to it. And everyone knew the stakes.. If the Stranded won, this place would without a shit of a doubt turn into a hellhole in a hurry.

He soon arrived at the harbor, dozens already there – about to take position along the harbor and the beach. Preparing for the battle about to begin as the roars of engines steadily closed in.

* * *

_02:35 – 14 A.E._

_Massy's fleet - Closing in on Pelruan_

Pelruan. The place had been a thorn in his side for too long. Bunch of bastards who still salute the COG, and so well armed it was difficult to attack them.

But now, since those Musashi folks showed up, Massy found himself a very real chance of becoming something more than just a boss of a small corner of an island. It was all the incentive he needed to start an invasion of Pelruan and take it over once and for all. With its resources at his disposal, he could negotiate a deal with the Musashi folks that could propel his clan to become a true power. Strong enough to even force that arrogant ass Griffin to his knees.

"Massy's Empire." he whispered to himself. The splashes of water around his boat and the puttering noise of its engine behind him making sure no one could hear him; "I like the sound of that."

With this newly found ambition, he was ready to sacrifice many of his men if it meant fulfilling that dream. As long as he got resources they want, Musashi won't get in his way to take over the other clans eventually... and then maybe even what's left of the COG.

And the start of it all lay before him. The lights of the village was shown as a huge stripe that stretched across the shore ahead, winking out one by one. All of those idiots are probably gathering along the shore – ignorant of the Junkers set to attack the village from behind.

"Victory..." he exhaled as a cloud of mist rolled over the area, "... is mine!"

* * *

_02:36 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan harbor_

Lewis cursed the inconvenience of the rolling mist. Under its cover, Massy's men could easily reach the shore and disembark.

"Knuckles down!" one of the elderly shouted. One of the few that remains of the Duke of Tollen's regiment, which fought in the Pendulum wars.

In the horizon, he could barely make out the outlines of the boats closing in. "Get ready, here they come!" and then suddenly felt as if the air slammed into him. The first thought was to conclude that he had given away his position with that shout, and got shot for it... But as he fell to the ground, aside from scrubs gotten from the hard landing, there was no bullet-wound anywhere on him, nor any pain to signal it. A look to the side confirmed it had happened to most of those along the shoreline, except those who managed to hold on.

Above the mist was clearing away, as if by magic, and from it flew something he never thought he'd see. A massive rectangular-shaped ship with a sharp bow hovered into view, with streams of ghostly energy running along that which should have been its waterline.

Shocked by this sudden arrival, even the Stranded veered away or stopped dead in their tracks. Lewis and his folks was not far off either.. they all froze.

The ship came in low and took up position just beyond the shore. From it, what sounded like a little girl's voice, cried out in an authoritative manner: "This is Thane Adele Balfette of the warship Yamato, Musashi navy." A number of turrets along the bottom of the ship turned to track the motorboats, "Chief Massy, this attack is a direct violation of the Protectorate outlines in regard to warfare. No attacks upon foreign targets are allowed unless approved and sanctioned by the council. Lower your weapons, and withdraw. Fail to comply, and we will intervene on this village's behalf – and destroy you to the last. Choose now, and choose wisely."

* * *

**Author notes: **Easiest chapter to write in quite a while once I got started. Just a bit of stumbling in the beginning when I wrote four pages worth of text.. only to come to the realization that it was written too awkwardly. Oh well, here it is. We're at Pelruan at last, and that means it's not long till the COG comes into the picture.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Pelruan**

* * *

_02:36 – 14 A.E._

_Massy's fleet – Near Pelruan harbor_

"I c-can't believe it... my empire..." Massy stammered, his voice barely able to leave his throat – still not loud enough to overcome the persistent sound of his boat's engine. He was very nearly thrown overboard by the resulting centrifugal force as Aron, the guy at the helm, chickened out at the sight of the flying ship and pulled the boat into a tight turn. A move echoed by almost everyone.

Before he could get back up.. four dinghies had already buggered out and vanished into the black night. A similar panic overcame the rest. Most wanted out. Arguments and sparks alike flew into the air at not being able to flee fast enough.

_C-cowards!_ Massy thought as he forced himself back upright, his eyes fastened on the ship that loomed over them so ominously. Six turrets visible on its belly, pointing in their direction – tracking the closest ones specifically. Unlike the rest, he still thought there to be a chance to win this. Just not by slugging it out with that thing. To prevent a complete route, the heavily built man threw himself at the old radio and called for everyone to get back in line, to which most responded with protests and abundant profanities.

"Let's get out of here, this is suicide!"

"Want us to die, you bastard?!"

"My god, look at that thing..."

"Holy shit, holy shit, _holy shit_!"

Massy seethed in anger, "Shut the fuck up, all of you!" he cried out loud enough to make everyone wince as static violently belched from their aging radios. "They're soft, you hear?! High-tech or not, they keep spouting war-avoidance shit! If they were even remotely like us, they'd blown us out of the water already!"

"What the hell can we do against _that_ anyway?" Aron threw the question, bewildered by how the chief's trying to rally the folks – despite what they're up against.

"We got a card up our sleeves! The junkers are still coming – just minutes away! We keep our distance till they get into town, then rush in during the ensuing chaos. We get in, mix in with the civies and they won't gun us down." His plan was built on the assumption that the Musashi folks wouldn't want to cause collateral damage. In any case, they needed to be fast.

The voice of the young girl Adele called out again. So loud it was as though the announcer stood right next to him, basically a repeat.

"Don't listen to her. It's an empty threat! Just keep your distance and be ready to move!"

Utter confidence fueled his ambition. Occupied or not, part of the protectorate or not... with Pelruan's resources in the palm of his hand, Musashi won't dare to raise a hand against him. And said confidence bled over to those with him as panic lessened. He made sure to radio his brother who led the Junkers about the obstacle, and let him know about his plan. _Just you wait... _

But he had one more idea to buy some time. So he fished up the device he got from that Masazumi-chick back in Tuktu City out of his pocket, and pressed the lone button it possessed – into which he spoke into it in a casual manner, not even looking up at the sign frame that popped into place above it. "Hey, calm down cutie. This is just to keep the COG bastards on their toes, and let them know not to mess around with us."

* * *

_02:39; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Kraken class warship "Yamato" - above Pelruan harbor_

"And that's what he said." Neshinbara looked rather embarrassed as he basically repeated what Massy just said. The devices given to all the Stranded clans are connected to Class 3-Plum's clerk by default after all.

Adele frowned. "A drill? That's nonsense."

"Most likely just stalling for time."

"Yeah. The vehicles are still incoming, and fast. Guess the only way we're gonna get Massy to back off without a bloodbath is to stop that convoy." It was a difficult situation in any case. It's one of the cases in which one had to show the military will to get things done – or they won't be taken seriously. But on the other hand, If they slaughter the Stranded below, no matter how unsanctioned their aggression may be, the other Stranded may become less friendly to unknown extents, which would be counterproductive to their current objectives. That left her with one solution: "Nate, could you handle the convoy for us?" she opened a divine transmission to the half-werewolf, who still remained atop the ship.

Nate responded with a smile as she stepped to the side facing the village and looked at the forests beyond it in the far distance, "You want me to duke it out with them?"

"Yes, but make it as bloodless as possible, if you please. Take down the vehicles, damage weapons, but chase the Stranded away." On the far side of the bridge Suzu helpfully updated the vehicles' location on the map. Just minutes away from Pelruan by road.

The knight looked thoughtful, with hands on hips as she examined the map, and nodded. "That is a tall order – but I shall try."

"We're counting on you."

* * *

_02:39 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan – harbor_

"What is going on?"

The question had already been asked a thousand times in bewilderment across town. A deep sense of wonder and unease had settled on it like a lead weight along with enough tension to sink a battleship.

Lewis could not get the strange flying ship out of his sight and mind. It hovered almost motionlessly in the air, turrets aimed in the direction of the Stranded – each turret pivoting every few seconds to keep the much smaller boats on the water surface in their crosshairs. But question was, who are they? Who command such ships? Aliens? It couldn't be the grubs they heard about over the radio before the hammer strikes. How fucked up would things be if those things are running the show out there?

"What are they waiting for?" a nearby youngster asked. His eyes on the distant Stranded that defiantly held position despite warnings doled out by the ship's crew. "Just shoot 'em and get it done with!"

"What was the thing about Protectorate anyway?" another asked.

"Sounds to me... kid..." Frederic Benten, one of the town's few remaining war veterans, whispered, "... like there's some kind of new alliance out there. With Stranded as subject states of a greater power. This is just a form of gunboat diplomacy, to show they won't let the filth do whatever they like. It's like what the UIR did with 'protected' states. The only difference so far is this new power ain't so trigger-happy. Two warnings, and not a single shot fired. It's like they're waiting for something."

As if to confirm that, something landed not far from their position with surprising force, and dashed off into town. Lewis and a few others managed to turn just in time to see a feminine figure leap onto a roof like it was a simple matter, and vanished into the distance.

The mayor sat frozen for a split moment, "Will, take the dogs and a few men and go after her. Whatever is going down, stop it!"

The deputy mayor nodded and left the line, but not before he had run its length and gotten every man that owned dogs with him. Whistles and snaps of fingers followed before the newly formed group hurried into town, with practically all the dogs around, ahead or trailing behind them. Some had already caught up to something strange ahead, and rushed, barking loudly while at it. They definitely smelled something.

* * *

_02:41 – 14 A.E._

_Road to Pelruan_

"Almost there." John Massy – the Chief's brother – grinned nervously, Hammerburst in hand, as he watched the _thing_ in the sky above the town. When his brother came back from Tuktu, he thought the whole flying ship thing was just a joke. No one laughed now. Now there was nothing but grim resolve, everyone had agreed to Chief Massy's plan despite the several hundred meters long ship dominating the sky. As long as they could mix in with the townspeople, they got a real chance. "Don't you fucking die on me, brother."

They had crossed a couple of houses already, now on the precipice of Pelruan's porous town border. Twenty men sat packed together in the quartet of junkers, heavily armed and eager to get this done. He himself sat on the second-foremost junker, with one obscuring the view directly ahead.

"Alright, get ready to rock and roll!" he guffawed and fed a clip into his rifle, which everyone else did too, along with loud shouts and howls – egging each others up for the fight about to start.

But then it happened. He looked to the junker ahead as something appeared in the air. In this darkness, it looked no different than a rope.. till he saw the faint metallic sheen in the moonlight. It flew through the air, as if it got a mind of its own, and curled itself gracefully around the junker... and like one pulled off a band-aid, tore the vehicle off the road, and sent it tumbling down the adjacent hill with crushing force. Just like that.

From the darkness that replaced the fallen vehicle.. another chain came, racing for his. The driver reacted to it before he did, and tried to veer away from it. But it reached them, and their world turned upside down as the junker was picked up and overturned. John fell to the ground along with everyone else. All aboard the junkers behind them spilled out like a dam had been broken once they managed to stop – miraculously without crushing anyone beneath their tires in the process.

"-The hell just attacked us?"

"Shit, keep an eye out!"

"Defensive formation!" John called out, and the Stranded rushed to form a big group, all facing outward with guns ready. But that seemed to be for naught as a figure landed right in the middle with masterful grace. He saw her just outside the edge of his vision.. a girl dressed in a form-fitting and elaborate uniform. With long silver hair and wolfish eyes. But his attention was more drawn to the chains that now flowed among them. Four chains rustled and flowed through the air as though each is a silvery snake – stretching in opposite directions from the girl herself as she rose again from her landing.

It was a position from which they could not retaliate without hurting and killing their own, and the girl knew this to the point she announced her presence with a clear voice:

"Musashi Ariadust Academy's 5th Special Agent of the Chancellor's board, Nate 'Argente loup' Mitotsudaira, will gladly deal with all of you. So, shall we get this on?"

_Musashi. Shit!_ In contrary to common sense, John turned to bring his Hammerburst to bear against her.. but he like everybody else were swept off their feet as the girl span but once.. a motion which her chains dutifully followed.

One of his guys, weapon dropped from the preceding attack, got up and tried to punch her down. But she blocked the blow, and sent a fist of her own into his face – delivered with enough force to crush the nose, and sent the man flying. He even back-flipped once while in mid-air before he met the ground.

"W-what monstrous strength..." one next to the struck guy spoke breathlessly before one of the chains curled around his waist and sent him flying into another.

John did not admit it, but he felt some real dread. Despite how frail a beauty she looked like, she truly _is_ strong. No one can send people flying like that, not even with a powered exoskeleton. He fumbled around on the ground, and tried to find his Hammerburst, but only managed to find an old shotgun. By the time he had gotten back up to fire, her attention had already settled on him alone. She had come so close, and tore the shotgun out of his hands before she proceeded to bend its barrel as though it's a rubber toy. The metallic squeak the weapon made during that almost perfectly matched the frightened sound that left his mouth.

And when frightened, people could be very unpredictable. They'd either run, freeze up, or fight – even if the odds are more than stacked against them. That's what the Stranded around her did. They had prepared for battle throughout.. and though this was wholly unprecedented, the preparations still rode them. With weapons or without, they rushed in to engage her in an all-out brawl... and were met with both equal and disproportionate force in return. Relentless and tireless, and perhaps even a bit eager, she beat them down, one or two or three at a time. Weapons were broken, ammunition spilled onto the gravel and grass, and bodies sent tumbling down like sacks of potatoes.

It was a short, but brutal fight. And before long, John himself landed face-down atop a pile of his down-beaten comrades. Not even able to reflect on what they could have done to better their chances before he blacked out.

* * *

_02:45; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Pelruan – town border_

Nate panted with a tinge of satisfaction once the last one had gone down. Felt victory ride her. Then realized her mistake. _Oh, no! I was supposed to just chase them away-!_

"Err... um. Got it." If she couldn't chase them away, so she had to do it a bit differently. So she rolled out her chains to their full length and loaded all of the bodies onto one junker. All but one, which she awoke by dunking the admittedly dirty contents of a bucket that she found standing not too far away from the road, next to a shack, onto his head.

The Stranded burst up with a start, and flailed briefly before he perhaps realized he was not out at sea drowning, and looked – with terrified eyes – at the half-werewolf that loomed over him, "W-wait, I just did what Massy wanted me to...!"

"Have no fear." she told him firmly, and pointed out the overloaded junker, "Take the vehicle and go back to where you came from. You got off easy this time, but don't let there be a second occurrence."

He stared, and then looked past her.. at where all that barking and heavy footsteps came from. All color drained off his skin, "Y-y-yes, I'll go. I'm moving. Thank you..."

The Stranded wrestled his way into the vehicle, sat behind the wheel and had the still-running vehicle do a sharp turn. Leaving with all haste.

Nate sighed with relief, "Now that is done away with..." and turned to snap a few pictures of the scene – which she sent back to the "Yamato" for Adele to use – before she also left.

Just in time as the locals finally arrived.

* * *

_02:48 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan – town border_

An ambush was possible. Will Berenz would never put it past the Stranded to attempt an ambush whenever feasible – but the view that awaited him, he could never had foreseen. He and his comrades heard an enormous amount of commotion up ahead, and thought a hard fight lay in wait for them. Instead, they arrived at what looked like the aftermath of a battle.

Three junkers could be seen, the first two lay on the side or upside down beside the road while the third stood undamaged – relatively speaking – in the rear. Weapons scattered everywhere. But no bodies... though there are signs of blood here and there which mildly reflected the light that flowed from their flashlights.

"Okay, this is weird..." Jonty commented.

"So the Stranded tried to ambush us, huh?" Will asked, scratching his head as he and the others walked walked among the scattered remains, "But who the hell brought them down?" He thought to bring up the subject of the girl he and the others saw, which was the reason they came here, in an attempt to pursue. But that couldn't be possible... right?

"Did they get cold feet or something?"

"I'd hope so.. but aren't you curious as to how those junkers ended up like that?"

"Poor driving?"

"Forget it. Let's gather all the stuff they left behind before they come back looking for it." the deputy mayor said as he crouched down and picked up a strange rifle that's in a pretty decent condition. Except a few scratches, it was as good as new. "Huh?" he coughed and looked up as something passed overhead and found it to be the flying ship – which slowly vanished into a cloud of gathering mist as it finally left.

All he and the others could do was watch, left to wonder whether the whole situation had been defused – until Lewis came to shed light on what had happened.

* * *

_A few minutes ago. 02:46; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Kraken class warship "Yamato" - above Pelruan harbor_

Adele maintained a grim expression as she watched Massy's face turn ghostly pale before it turned red. It was a fairly interesting reaction to say the least. She had just shown him the picture Nate sent over via divine transmission between him and her that they managed to arrange through Neshinbara.

It wasn't what she asked for, but it had to do. Chief Massy's men all piled up in a single vehicle, all badly beaten up. Adele could faintly hear him mutter something about his brother.

"We've defeated your other attack group and sent what's left of it back to your settlement. Most bruised or injured, but no dead. Face it, you lost."

Massy looked like he was going to say something, but his head dipped begrudgingly in defeat. The Stranded leader looked just about ready to throw the device into the water, but changed his mind. Instead, he merely switched it off – which closed the divine transmission. Within a minute, the whole fleet had turned away and fled.

"N-nicely done, Adele." Suzu congratulated her with a tender smile.

Adele reclined against the chair, exhaling in relief. "Thanks... but we better not make a habit out of this. If this doesn't give us the desired results..."

"Then we need to use more force..." the captain helpfully added.

The thane nodded, "Camouflage on. Navigation, set course to rendezvous with Nate. We're done here."

"Jud."

Order given, Adele brought up a sign frame to write a full report she'd send straight to Neshinbara once done, who'd then hand it over to Aoi, who would undoubtedly give it over to Masazumi.

_So predictable._ She giggled inwardly, and spent the first minute thinking of how to begin before the first letters fell into place.

* * *

_10:34; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - Okutama – Ariadust Academy – Class 3-Plum_

"And that sums up this night's events. Ladies, gentlemen." Masazumi finished. She stood behind Oriotorai's desk, and had just doled out all the information, both written and recorded, to a large array of sign frames – each which contained the face of a Stranded leader. A few seemed disinterested, but most looked annoyed at what Massy did – who had started the meeting by railing at Musashi, until all the information had been put on the table for all to see.

"Huh." Janet glared at Massy as if he was a disgusting bug, "Always knew your greediness would come to bite you in the ass someday. You should thank them for not having blown your sorry ass out of the water."

Massy cursed under his breath, "Shut up."

"Chief Massy." Masazumi said, "We went easy on you this time. But the regulations are there for a reason. If we are going to rebuild this world, rules are one of the crucial things needed. This also goes for the rest of you. Attacks against other factions for example must be properly sanctioned first and foremost. Step out of line, and you will be dealt with accordingly."

"Your people were protecting a COG town. Fuck. That. Shit."

Another Stranded woman put a voice to her shrug, "Didn't even know the COG still had enclaves. Thought they were all in Jacinto till recently when they moved to Port Farral."

"That said. I plan to give this enclave the same deal I offered you." Masazumi calmly announced.

"You can't be fucking serious." Massy shouted, and slammed his fist against a metallic surface off-screen, "They're COG! They used the hammer on us!"

"... Did any of those in that enclave initiate those strikes?" she asked the piercing question, "Did any of them have any choice in the matter? Have they had any contact with the rest of the COG since the hammer strikes? If all of the answers to those questions amount to a simple 'no', then I don't see the problem. As far as we are concerned, all of humankind across this world are collectively bleeding. Suffering. As long as someone raises an arm, asking for help, we will reach out and help all we can."

"You make a compelling argument, Masazumi." Janet said with a small applause, "But many won't approve of it. As long as there's a COG label stuck on them, few will ever see them face to face without spitting."

"I guess it could work both ways. But we need to start somewhere. Such things can't be allowed to fester, especially not with the Locust around." It seemed like she had managed to make a decent impression on a few of the Stranded, though most looked doubtful or annoyed. But Massy seemed to be the only one openly hostile to the idea, which made sense since he used to be in Griffin's camp. With any hope, that would change. If not and he does something again, it'll be the big guns' time to do the talking.

Masazumi shivered inwardly at the potential ramifications if it came to that. Politics aren't an easy thing to tackle, but they couldn't solve every problem with force either.

"Unless there are any further questions, this meeting's adjourned."

"Wait." one of the Stranded, an old bearded guy, raised a hand, "When do we get to taste that wonderful curry-whatchamacallit again?"

The tension that permeated the meeting evaporated in an instant as laughter spread. A few teased the one who handed out the question, about not being able to get used to his regular diet after having tasted the curry Hassan brought.

Masazumi smiled appreciatively, "Once most of the camps got a stable food production going. Right now we're tightening our belts. It'll take a while, but you won't regret it."

"Aw... hah-! Makes me want to roll up my sleeves already."

"Alright, meeting's adjourned."

All of the sign frames closed down as the meeting was ended – which finally allowed her to prepare, for the trip to Vectes.

* * *

_11:21; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City.-Ship "Musashi" - The Musashino bridge; "Inadequate HQ"_

"Is it ready?" Futayo inquired, her voice firm. She stood not far from 'Musashi' whose gaze was fixed almost solidly on the roof above.

"Jud..." the head automaton replied monotonously, and lowered her eyes to meet with those of the Vice-Chancellor. "... Scan complete. Over."

"Show me."

At a mere gesture from 'Musashi', a hologram popped up from the floor in the middle of the bridge where the map of the fleet usually was, replaced instead by a picture of the planet they are on. With many circles with blips all around it, each indicating a satellite.

Futayo approached the map and looked it over. Most of the satellites shown had long since broken down, left to orbit the planet as little but junk. A few still seemed active though. "Which are the ones that make up the 'Hammer of Dawn'?"

The automatic doll barely blinked, and the number of objects decreased considerably. "These fits the criteria as armed space-based weapons' satellites. Analysis indicate the weaponry are all energy-based. Over."

"Which of them could threaten us?"

"To speak fairly: All of them. Over."

Futayo's eyes darkened ever so slightly as she took that in, "I see..."

"Ah, Futayo!"

The two looked to see as the ever-cheerful Toori make his appearance on the bridge, with the ever-quiet Horizon Ariadust trailing in his wake. Interest was painted all over the Chancellor/President's face. "Sir Toori, Lady Horizon?" the Samurai asked, "What honor do we owe for this visit?"

Toori made a silly grin, "Just heard 'Musashi' was nearly done finding that Hammer of Docking thing."

"Hammer of Dawn. Over." 'Musashi' corrected with a shrug.

"Yes, dangerous, ain't it?"

Horizon raised her shoulders, "That goes without saying, Toori."

"So why not blast it?"

Futayo shook her head, "I apologize, but we possess no weapon with that kind of range.

Toori looked to Horizon for a moment, as if searching for something. All she had to say was a simple; "No." along with a simple shake of her head.

"Satellites orbit the planet at an enormous velocity." 'Musashi' explained, "Hypothetically, if we possessed such weaponry, it would still be nigh impossible to target, let alone hit it. Over."

"Could we still defend against it?"

"Specifics as to its destructive power is unknown at this time. Over."

Toori did not look worried though. If there was a sign of it, most who knew him would know it was just a play. If it wasn't, it was time to worry about his well-being. "Hammer of Docking sure is scary alright."

"Hammer of Dawn. Over." 'Musashi' corrected him again, but it seemed to bounce off of him like it's a rubber ball. Horizon looked just about set to catch and smash the rubber ball into his head, but did not act on it. Instead, all she did was narrow her eyes a couple of millimeters.

"Then, at least keep an eye on those things for us." he said with a thumb up, "I'm counting on you."

The head automaton closed her eyes and nodded, "Jud. Over."

For the slightest moment, Toori's eyes wandered down to a very certain part of 'Musashi's' body, but was quickly stopped abruptly with a yelp as Horizon bunked him upside the head, hard enough to crash him into the floor.

"Nice punch, Horizon. You been working out?" Toori coughed, his grin at least withstood that perfectly.

Futayo sighed, then turned her attention back to 'Musashi', "Let us know if the weapons' ever deployed, regardless of target."

"Jud. Over."

"Good work so far." Toori said as he got back up like nothing had happened, brushing nonexistent dust off his clothes while at it, "Now let's see if Seijun can crack this newest nut for us."

Vectes is the richest treasure trove in regard to agriculture found in this strange new world so far. Deep in her mind, Futayo wished her cousin the best of luck, for everyone's sake.

* * *

_15:10 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan town square_

Will Berenz marched along the square, a hefty crowd had gathered to look over the newly acquired junkers. Some discussing on what to use them for, or to take them apart. The radios on board on the other hand were a very welcome addition along with all the new weapons now stored away. A full new arsenal acquired without much of an effort on their part.

However, the strange events last night were the primary subject everyone spoke and debated about. There was a clear dividing line already between the youngsters that were absolutely fascinated with the glowing flying ship, like something that bounced its way out of an old science fiction comic – of which there are few left in town, relics from the time when they actually had contact with the outside world. And the older ones, who were near-universally frightened or paranoid about it. Will himself did not know what to think. But whoever the strangers are, they didn't kill anyone. Then there was that carnage at the back of the village... what went down there?

He groaned softly at the headache developing in his mind, and automatically headed for the harbor where he could stare out at the great ocean that stretched seemingly endlessly into the distance. It was always a calming sight, as well as an intimidating one. There, Will tried to empty his mind and focused outward – at the crystal clear water... it sure was beautiful today.

Surely nothing could possibly ruin it.

"Hey, look at that-!" one of the fishermen called out, pointing into the distance.

A sort of dread immediately filled him, though he had little reason to let it ride him. Will approached the wharf on which the fisherman in question stood, staring into the distance along with a few others. And out there, he saw it.

It was small at first, but glowed a brilliant teal along its waterline, and... hovered just ten feet off the surface. It was not nearly as big as the one seen last night, but it approached them without the slightest sign of deviation from its current course.

Nervously, he put a hand on the fisherman's shoulder, "Get everyone into town. And tell Lewis what's going on if he doesn't know already, now!"

* * *

_15:14; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Diplomatic ship – setting down at Pelruan harbor_

Masazumi's eyes settled on the crowd that awaited them as the ship set down at the harbor, and via rope with gravity blessing applied, she disembarked onto the wooden wharf below, followed by her escorts of choice for this, Nate and Adele.. both of whom had already been here and seen the place – however brief and turbulent their visit was.

An awful lot of those that had gathered to meet them were armed... and before long, a shot was sent over her head – a warning shot, but a sign of clear hostility. Adele and Nate reacted immediately and rushed in front to shield the Vice President from the less than friendly procession. The half-werewolf had already summoned her chains, and gathered them into an improvised shield, while the thane brandished her giant lance.

It was plain to see that the locals were confused by the response. Neither weapons appeared threatening to these folk... and the one in the lead, in his forties from the look of it, came closer. "Who the hell are you?" the old man inquired, his voice not nearly as hostile as the words appeared to be.

Masazumi – once she recovered from her shock – had her escorts part with a gesture and stepped up, arms raised to the sides to show she's not armed, "I am Vice President Masazumi Honda of the City-state Musashi. Please lower your weapons. We come in peace, and mean you no harm."

The old man held his gaze a little longer before he finally gestured for his folks to do so. "... Aren't you a little... Huh, never mind. I'm Lewis Gavriel. Mayor of Pelruan, and head of VNB maintenance team. I've never heard of anything called 'Musashi', but I hope you can shed some light on what the hell was going on last night."

"We can, and we will." Adele said, and her voice caught the man by surprise.

"Hey... it was you back then, that voice."

The thane scratched her chin, a little embarrassed, "Y-yes.. I was in command of the warship "Yamato" back then. It's a complicated matter."

"No doubt." Lewis hummed dryly, "Let's talk this over at our town hall, if you're fine with that."

"That is quite alright and understandable. We respectfully accept your invitation." Masazumi responded in the positive.

"Better be ready." he shrugged, "It'll be a full town meeting. There are a lot of frightened people looking for answers."

That would be no problem either. Masazumi mentally prepared herself as they moved into the town – she and the others were surrounded by armed farmers, fishermen and miscellaneous workers, with plenty unease in the air as townsfolk came out to look at the strangers who've come to their tiny corner of the world. Adele and Nate remained close to her and maintained a solid vigil, but Masazumi felt they are making serious headway already. Ahead people are already gathering in front of the town hall, all the way from children and to elderly people – a full menagerie of onlookers.

Despite her experience, she still felt a tiny cold shiver run down her back. _Now, let's see if we can pull this off._

* * *

_15:35; 10th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Pelruan town hall_

The crowd had become very silent. Most of the town meeting so far had been spent explaining what went down last night, and the events that led up to that point – no more than what they've already told the Stranded though.

Adele was the one who brought them up to speed, and her kind appearance and demeanor had a calming effect on the crowd that filled the chamber aside from the town council. She made sure to be thorough and frequently paused to let the information sink in before she moved on, till she was just about finished.

"I hope this wasn't too much to take for some of you." Adele lit up with another of her bright smiles, "Any questions before I give the word to the Vice President?"

Lewis rubbed his temples as he rose from his seat, "Thank you, miss Adele. But it's difficult to imagine... the Stranded... they're actually going to adhere to society's rules after all these years?"

Adele blinked at the question and stepped off the podium, and gave Masazumi a brief bow before she went over to where Nate stood. It was time for a politician to take to the stage, which the Vice President did without hesitation: "Mayor Lewis, everyone." presentations had already been done away with. A polite address was all that's needed before she went on to answer the man's question: "Quite a few of the Stranded are just regular folks who try to survive and live with what little they got left. So far, none of those who have chosen to become members seem to be of the militant kind – so far – except for Chief Massy, the one who control the small settlement at the far end of this island."

The townsfolk murmured amongst themselves for a few seconds before Lewis called for silence, and went on to his next question. "Will there be anymore trouble from his side?"

"We believe he's gotten the message. But I assure you, if he steps out of line again – we'll take care of him, this time in a more permanent fashion. If disruptive elements can't step in line and stay there, they will be removed by force." Masazumi was overly careful not to say 'kill'. There are children present.

"They should all be put down, Stranded are nothing but parasites." Will Berenz said, obviously with very strong opinions regarding the folks out there.

She frowned for a split moment, "With all due respect, deputy mayor, you haven't seen the world in its current state."

"Enlighten me."

"All the places we've seen so far since our isolationist policies were ended are in a state of total devastation. Nothing but ruins, and only a small percentage of the original populations seem to remain, living in shantytowns with little resources at their disposal. And that's without all the talk about the locust, an enemy that has waged a genocidal war on mankind."

The news unsettled the crowd, and Lewis broke out in cold sweat. Will however soldiered on:

"What about the COG, are they still out there?"

"We haven't encountered any COG so far, all we've heard about them so far come from Stranded. They say the entirety of the COG are now holed up in a place called Port Farrall."

"All of it? Port Farrall?" the name spread through the crowd. There were many uncertain whispers, some of them; frightened, till Lewis called to silence again. The mayor went to ask this time:

"Why there? What happened to Jacinto?"

"We... don't know the specifics. My guess is that they were forced to abandon it."

Will Berenz dropped himself onto a chair and stared at the floor as if something interesting was written on it. Several villagers followed his example, especially among the elderly.

"... My God." Lewis wiped his forehead, "Damn it."

The Vice President nodded wordlessly, "I see some among you got strong ties to the COG."

"We are COG citizen. Our village was established together with the VNB; Vectes Naval Base. We've maintained it all these years, waiting for the off-chance that the COG might need to use it and restart their biochem program."

"I see. But in the mean time, we wish to extend you an offer."

"Offer?" the mayor looked up.

"Yes, an offer to join the Musashi Protectorate."

The crowd was rendered utterly silent by that. Lewis paused before he spoke up, sounding grave, "Miss Masazumi, we are at the foremost a COG enclave."

"I'm aware, mayor. But we do not require you to relinquish your way of life, nor ideology. The heart of the Protectorate is the need for resources. Musashi need food first and foremost. In return, we offer to use a portion of our industrial capability to supply you with useful technology. Aid to restore infrastructure. As well as protection against foreign hostility."

A farmer raised his hand, it was Jonty, "What kind of machines? We barely produce any surplus."

Masazumi opened up a sign frame in response. Aside from the muttering about magic, they watched the footage shown – especially the farmers. It was almost a parade of images that were all about farming machines, "We're preparing a start package for those not able to produce surplus for trade, along with reactors that will provide the machines with fuel. They will allow you to greatly expand your fields, among other things, without straining your limited manpower and resources. More than enough to produce a solid surplus."

Ultimately, to get people to join the Protectorate, all that's needed is to throw a bone so good they can't refuse it. And it worked, many looked upon the machines with great interest. The thought of getting more food without having to work their collective asses off proved _very_ attractive.

"It... wow... looks like a really good deal. If we're allowed to live like we always have... I guess there's no problem on my side." Lewis admitted, hand on head as he took it all in, "But we need to vote on it first before we come to a decision."

_The COG's democratic then?_ The woman bowed politely, "We are perfectly fine with that, mayor."

The whole voting process took most of the day as the villagers thought it over before they eventually placed their votes. A little pin with name and Y or N written on it. Quite a number decided to turn down the offer, mostly based on their intense dislike of the Stranded. But those who deemed the benefits greater than the shortcomings, eventually proved to a noticeable majority.

By the end of the evening, with a ceremony and the following broadcast, the COG enclave of Pelruan officially became a member of the Musashi Protectorate.

* * *

_23:56 – A.E._

_Kashkuri highlands – Anvil Gate_

It was nearly time to leave.

Pad had spent this whole time thinking. That, and wandering around the nostalgic interior of the fortress city he once fought to defend – watching the colorful Tres España folks deal with their new surroundings. They had proven to be a really jolly bunch so far just about every time they were off-duty. If not for regulations to limit the consumption of drinks and rations, they probably would've gone the whole hog and had a drinking party. It's like they spent their whole time on duty holding their collective breaths.

He wanted nothing more than to make sure the remaining Pesanga are safe. But wasn't sure if bringing them here would be the best choice. Pad leaned against the railing at the front of the fort, just above the main entrance, staring into the night. Thinking, contemplating. There was only one thing he needed to know after what he had seen in a couple of places...

An explosion went off in the courtyard behind him as the 'Four balls of death' Pedro and Flores Valdes showed off with their explosive projectiles with a wrecked car as the target, and got scolded by Takakane for it.

Like all armies, this one got its own quirks too.

Though maybe a bit too much. These people militarized a _ball game_! And he had a feeling they used more games for combat than that. Easygoing would be too soft a word to describe them.

"Quite a spectacular view."

Pad looked up, and saw the old timer Felipe, who had come out to either see him or enjoy the view, or maybe both.

"Can see almost the entire valley from here." Felipe continued before he finally looked back at Pad, "Have you come to a decision?"

The man focused on the scenery, "No. There is one thing I need to know before I decide."

Felipe leaned on the railing beside him, "And what may that be? Ask away."

"I've seen cases of what might be racism occur in some places today. It's kind of weird, but some of you got awfully pointy ears."

"Ah, those are elves."

"Ethnic group?"

"Different race altogether, but genetically compatible with humans."

_That_ did not quite compute, so Pad skipped that part and went right to the question that he had to ask, "So, racism is a problem in Tres España?"

"You're afraid we might treat the Pesanga badly?"

"Yes, that's about the size of it."

Felipe nodded understandingly, but his voice became firm; "It won't happen. The prejudice within our nation is... complicated, but it won't affect the Pesanga."

"Can you really promise that?"

"If it doesn't work out, both you and the Pesanga may leave at any time. But I do stress that we really _need_ your help. Practically willing to walk through fire to acquire your assistance."

"I really hope you don't mean that literally, Chancellor." a woman spoke up. Pad looked up to see who it was, and if his lower claw could fall and hit the floor comically that instant... it would've, after seeing the one the voice belonged to.

"Ah, Juana." Felipe said, "Is there a problem?"

Gin was... very impressive physically, but paled before the very well-endowed woman who now stood before them, a high official like Felipe from the looks of it – which sharp ears Pad noted, like many of the others he has seen so far. And when she spoke, it was with an authoritative tone.. which also sounded like she was set to reprimand those around her at any moment; "Yes. You got work and decisions that needs your attention. Now of all times, don't fall back to the mop."

The old man chuckled, "Don't worry, Juana. I'm just talking to our potential future scout."

"Mop?" Pad just _had_ to ask.

Juana raised her shoulders in exasperation, which in turn raised those large and elaborate shoulder-plates of hers. "Felipe keeps trying to avoid his political responsibility by cleaning the floors."

"So what you're saying is... he's the leader, but prefer to work as a janitor?"

"That's exactly the problem."

Somehow, Pad could not help but get just the right mental image, and managed to laugh. Juana still looked exasperated while Felipe himself scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, but not negatively so. "Politician and Janitor, oh you're killing me."

The woman looked just about ready to grab Felipe by the ear and drag him away.

"Wait.. hold on." Pad raised a hand, and coughed out the last laugh so he could ask her seriously, "I'm just looking for a second opinion.. If I brought the Pesanga here... would they risk getting targeted by whatever prejudice you got going here?"

"Preju-" Juana did not finish the sentence. "No, of course not." her voice much gentler now.

He held her gaze for a little longer, and detected but the faintest hint of longing sorrow. Similar to those Felipe got, though not nearly as bad a case. But like him, she appeared to be a genuinely honest person.

When he finally broke eye contact, he spent only one more consideration before he finally came to a decision, "Okay, I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"I'll take the job. I just need to go and get Harua and the others."

"Glad to hear it." Felipe nodded thankfully, "But go and ask Diego for transport if you want to save time."

"Appreciated, but I think I need to go on foot for now." Pad grunted as he rose up to head down. "I'll be back in a few days."

"We'll be waiting." Felipe stood to wave him off, but was finally grabbed and dragged away to whatever duty lay in wait for him.

"Cute." was the only word Pad could immediately think of as he quickly finished his preparations and and left. One thing was for sure... He lost Baz, but he would not lose Harua and the other Pesanga. It was an oath he swore again as he headed back into the wilderness.

* * *

_Several days later (17th June) 13:05 – 14 A.E._

_Above Vectes – heading inland_

"Good call, Prescott." Bernie commented on the view, the sight of an island untouched by the grubs, so much larger than Galangi, the island from which she hailed.

By then, they had already checked on VNB from the air, and now headed to look the rest of the island over. Plenty of land for people to settle comfortably, and in this climate, people could plant crops right away. Bernie already ran over a mental list over what she would need to teach the civvies. All of them were city-folk till recently.

"Up ahead!" Baird called out as he stared into the distance.

Bernie quirked an eyebrow at him, "What?" Marcus seemed like he just noticed what blondie referred to, and leaned out to take in the view.

"I said, look up ahead."

Gettner, the pilot of the Raven they're on, cut in. "Yeah, I see it too. House."

"They'd have needed living quarters here..." Anya said, sticking to the past tense. It just kind of struck Bernie then. The VNB looked much too well-maintained for having been unused for so long. There had to be people still around. "Not just for the naval personnel, either – they'd have needed to be self-sufficient for long periods because resupply wouldn't have been easy."

Bernie leaned out, and finally saw it. Not just the house, but a large and lovely field. A big properly plowed field.

"But what the hell is wrong with this picture?" Baird asked before anyone could point out the farmer down there who saw them, then turned to jog back to his house.

"Shit." Marcus muttered. Everyone could see it as they circled around the field. A big red-colored robot down there walked across the field, dragging along a plow too big and wide for any animal to pull.

"Oh, momma... the folks here are rocking some serious hardware." Cole guffawed.

Baird shook his head, "No fucking way."

Anya leaned back and hit the wall, "Take us further inland. There's got to be a settlement around here."

"Alright, moving." Gettner banked the Raven away from the field.

Baird looked pretty pissed as he dragged himself back in, "This is bullshit. There is no way they can produce something like that."

"Hey, guys..." it was Gettner again, "Anyone else see that cable down there?"

"... Cable?" he leaned out again, "What cable, I don't see any... oh."

Bernie poked her head out on the other side and saw it. A fancy-looking cable that stretched into either directions. It lead to the farm they had just been at.

"Follow that thing." Marcus told their pilot with absurd composure, "I got a funny feeling the answers we're looking for might be that way."

"Roger that. Following."

What followed were several anxious minutes as they followed the single lead across a landscape where the number of dwellings eventually increased – both of the one-storied and two-storied varieties. "Still inhabited." Gettner confirmed. Down on the ground, folks looked back up at them. Most running for the town that just appeared in the distance. A genuine article, not a Stranded shantytown. A simple fishing port.

But that was not the only thing they saw. The Raven passed another hill, and finally came upon what the cable's attached to. A tower, at least a one hundred and fifty feet tall and fifty feet wide. Its shape and surface perfectly smooth and geometric, with lines and corners that glowed a neon-blue. At the top, a set of letters orbited it, which read; 'Welcome to Vectes'.

"What the crap?" Cole was just as speechless as the rest of them upon the sight of it.

Even the 'know-it-all' Baird felt his voice fail him.

The only one who managed to maintain his composure in the face of this was Marcus, who pressed his earpiece, "Control. This is Sargent Fenix, calling from Vectes."

"Have you found a solution?" it was Prescott.

"Not sure yet. But we've run into something here."

"What is it?"

"Is there any record of state of the art prototype technology on Vectes?"

"No."

"Then we may have a problem. Hold till we investigate further, Fenix out." his gaze was distant, like he was trying to make sense of something more profound than what they just found. "Gettner, take us to the village. Let's see if we can get a nice chat with them."

"Okay, who bet it was built by aliens?" Cole raised his hand.

"Only one way to find out, Cole."

Dom slumped, "Why can't anything just be simple anymore?"

"You're preaching to the choir, Dom." Marcus shrugged as they banked for the village.

Bernie agreed with Dom. Nothing's been simple, and it looked like it would not get simpler any time soon. But none of them expected what they would discover in the upcoming hours.

* * *

**Author note:** Whew, it turned into a very long chapter. Had come to a decision to not post till I at least bring Delta into the story. Also, to note, I changed a couple of things in the preceding chapter to make the events in this chapter easier to put into shape. Next chapter, Delta investigates. Musashi encounter some problems. And a bit of what's going on with England.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Search**

* * *

_13:19 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan – Town hall_

Lewis put his papers aside as he prepared to take a little breather from his work. A little corner of his mind nudging him to head over to the bar and get some hooch – a notion he quickly dismissed with a shrug.

There seemed to be some commotion going on outside, but it's been going on and off these last few days, ever since Pelruan became a member of that Protectorate. More than a few had fallen in love with the various machines and gadgets those folks from Musashi introduced into their daily lives. Most working in the fields expanding farmlands or clearing away trees to prepare for the former. The removed trees would be turned into lumber. Nothing would be wasted – as it should be.

He ignored the hubbub and reclined to rest. But before he could close his eyes in relaxation, the door was blown open with enough force to make the mayor jump from his chair. It was Will, he came in as though he got an army of tax collectors flying up his ass, "Lewis, come quickly!" the man said in a manner of great urgency.

The mayor groaned as he mentally picked himself up, "What is it this time?"

"A helicopter has been sighted. It flew over by the reactor just a few minutes ago, and now it's heading this way."

"Hold on..." Lewis waved a hand as if to will the man to slow down, "What kind of helicopter are we talking about here?"

"Those who've seen it closest says it's a King Raven."

_A Gunship?!_ "Go back outside and tell the guys to arm themselves. I'll be with you in a sec..."

Will nodded and quickly left, shouting to someone just outside line of sight – which left Lewis to his thoughts as he left the desk to retrieve his trusty shotgun. _We're either dealing with Stranded who've managed to salvage the thing... or COG. It'd be great if it's the latter... but after fourteen years, and the dire straits they seem to be in, what's the chance of them coming by? _Lewis set his eyes on the communications' device given to him by Masazumi. He considered calling for help, but decided they wouldn't be able to come fast enough – he could hear the approaching rotorcraft already.

This is something the village will have to deal with by themselves.

The mayor armed himself and ran out to join the rest.

* * *

_13:22 – 14 A.E._

_Above Pelruan_

"If that does not look promising..." Dom commented after he had leaned out to take a look at the sprawling town below as Gettner brought the raven across its' length, he almost immediately spotted the COG flag withered by old age at the top of the flag pole in the center of town. "... then I don't know what is."

Marcus acknowledged the sighting with a low grunt-like hum, though his attention was more on the crowds down there now rapidly disappearing into the buildings – replaced by scores of armed people. He also saw a whole lot of dogs barking their heads off at the intruding rotorcraft.

"Aw hell no." Cole muttered under his breath for a change. "I tell ya all, I've not come to shoot another pooch."

"Trained guard hounds, Cole." Bernie noted, "These ain't no wild dogs."

"What are you seeing down there?" Gettner asked, "Any sign of whatever made those things out there?"

"No." Marcus said. All who could scanned the village, a large gathering of one to two-stories buildings. "Low technology level, judging by roads and low-rise buildings."

"No factories, and no labs aside from the bio-chem lab at Toxin town." Baird glowered at the man-made landscape. He tried to identify anything that might've produced those machines out there. They had to come from _somewhere_. But the apparent lack of such facilities pissed him off to no end. "Shit. Either those things were imported somehow, or there are underground bases Prescott's not aware of."

"Just farmers and fishers." Bernie observed with a shake of her head, indicating the harbor filled with trawlers, and all of the farmland they came by on the way in.

Marcus had his mind on what they needed to do next, and called the pilot; "Find us a place to land. Preferably outside town. We'll do this by the book."

She was less than enthused, "The natives are looking awfully restless - you sure?"

"We'll be suitably non-threatening."

A few of the others rolled their eyes at that. Gears are universally poor at looking harmless. It is physically impossible to make them look like they just dropped by for a nice chat.

Within minutes, Gettner reluctantly brought them onto a cliff just out of town. An elevated piece of ground with a good visibility. In all the time it took to get there, people all over the village had started to turn out. The armed villagers all homing in on their position.

Delta hit the ground one by one, Marcus moving on ahead. "Delta - stay back." he ordered calmly, "Wedge contact formation, and _low-key_. Anya, Bernie, you're with me." He chose them specifically because they look the least threatening out of all of them.

Ahead, the villagers already approached. Around thirty of them – all armed with a semi-exotic variety of firearms – all moving as one like a moving roadblock of bodies.

Gettner muttered something incoherent in alarm. The extra fuel-tank that had been added to the raven's frame was much too exposed for her liking. A few stray shots and the whole thing could turn into a fireball. She is the type of woman who takes all damage done to her bird personally, like it was a part of her own damned body.

Before they got very far, a warning shot was sent flying over his head, and Marcus for a split moment remembered all the times his superiors noted he should put on a helmet instead of a do-rag, but that thought quickly passed. He raised an arm to keep the others from letting their reflexes ingrained by many years of more or less constant fighting take over, "Hold your fire Delta – Stand down!"

He kept his rifle low, not aimed at anything but the ground at his feet as the townsfolk approached – probably encouraged by the lack of hostile response. The guy leading them seemed to be the old fellow with sandy hair who fired that warning shot, "Who are you? Identify yourself!"

"Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Coalition of Ordered Governments. Why don't we put our guns down and talk this over?"

"Anyone can get a full rig these days. Prove it."

Marcus cocked his head slightly, "If I give you my earpiece, I can probably get Chairman Prescott himself to talk to you."

Admittedly, that wouldn't cut it with most. Stranded would simply be assholes about it, but after a moment of eye-contact, the man lowered his weapon. "Damn... after all these years..."

Careful not to use rank, he introduced himself; "I'm Marcus. This is Anya Stroud and Bernadette Mataki. Want to catch up on the news?"

"Gavriel. Lewis Gavriel. Head of maintenance at the naval base. Been here since before the COG decommissioned it more than twenty years ago. I'm sorry, but I didn't think you'd come all the way out here if the latest news are true."

"You know about our situation?"

"Mostly rumors by the Stranded. Says the COG's now in Port Farrall, in dire straits from the sound of it." Lewis scratched his head, a little embarrassed, "The Stranded have been circulating those news lately, but we only learned of it first from the Vice President of Musashi. Were they... wrong?"

"... Right on the mark, actually." Behind him, Anya and Bernie exchanged glances. Marcus narrowed his ice-blue eyes, "Now, what's this about 'Musashi'."

"You've... not heard of it?"

Marcus looked to Anya, who shook her head in confusion.

"I guess there's much ground to cover. We've got a bar downtown, we can talk there if you'd like. You can bring the rest of your men too - fellow COG citizen are more than welcome in our town."

He gave a nod, and waved for the rest of Delta to approach. "Alright. Let's talk."

* * *

_13:55 – 14 A.E._

_Pelruan – Ellen's bar_

"Oh... my god." If there was some cheer here before, it was all gone now. Instead, a shocked silence filled the space. Most of the locals close enough to listen could not utter a word in their horrified disbelief, only Lewis managed to apply words to it. "She said things were bad... but I never thought it was... this bad."

Anya nodded solemnly, not asking who he was referring to. She had told the essential details, of why they ended up in Port Farrall, and the estimated number of casualties – by percentage – along with the fact that even though the Locust had been dealt a near-fatal blow, there are still an unknown number of stragglers about. She did not expect him to be able to take in the sheer scale of the destruction Sera has suffered these last fourteen years, it was enough that he started to understand how serious a crisis this is. "We have to rebuild Sera from scratch. We're starting over with the few we saved."

"I guess..." the mayor closed his eyes shut, as if to banish the monstrous mental images he got from what Anya had told him, "... I guess you want us to come back to the mainland, then." his voice had turned into a hoarse whisper, "Things are desperate, but I don't think very many would leave. I... I rather like it here."

"Lewis. Nobody's asking you to leave." Anya leaned in a little and braced herself, an act echoed by Dom in particular. "For now, the mainland's much too dangerous. We want to bring the remnants of Jacinto here, before we lose everyone."

"Sorry... but..." Lewis' brows furrowed as he took this in, "How will we feed an entire _city_? We're just a small community. Even with the new machines, we'll be severely hard-pressed to-"

"-We got our own supplies." she told him quickly. Not much of it, but some. "And our people are well-versed in food management, so we won't leave you starving."

"And what about your camp?"

"We could use the VNB. Lewis, you surely know it better than anyone else.. Is it habitable?"

"Mothballed. Hydroelectric power, run-of-river. This island was chosen for the base location specifically for sustainability, in case the worst happened. And that surely came to pass... didn't it?"

"Then it's usable."

"I need to put this to the vote. I'm just the town's representative."

"Of course. But I can't overstate this enough; Vectes could save humanity."

He acknowledged that with a slow grim nod. "Saving humanity. That's on Musashi's agenda too, by trying to bring us back together."

"Let's talk a bit about that, shall we?" Baird asked. He had been leaning against the wall just a few feet away till now.

Marcus made him step back with another glare. "Tell us about them."

Lewis nodded, "We first saw them a few days ago, when the Stranded from across this island tried to attack us. A warship that belonged to the Musashi navy stepped in and forced the scum to leave without bloodshed."

"Navy... so it is a nation?" Anya inquired, she looked at the others to see if there were any signs of recognition, but there were still none.

"A city-state." the mayor corrected. "An island-bound city-state. I guess there was one out there all along, that never got embroiled in the war."

"That is very strange. Because I've never heard of it untill today."

"Neither did I, but it exists – there's no question about that. Apparently they used to maintain strict isolationism until recently, and founded the 'Musashi Protectorate' after they found out how serious the situation is out there, specifically to facilitate reconstruction of our ruined world."

"Do those machines out there come from Musashi?" Baird interjected with his question.

"Yes. Gifts so we can boost our food production. Food is exactly what they are most interested in importing."

Anya realized this would make the food situation more difficult. These folk not only needed food for themselves, but to engage in trade with Musashi – on top of now being needed to help sustain the remnants of Jacinto when they eventually arrive. But now that they entered the topic of the machines, she brought up a question Baird probably burned to ask for an answer to: "And what about that tower we saw? What's it for?"

"It's a reactor." Lewis answered with not nearly the amount of details desired by the assembled Gears.

"A reactor?" Baird parroted. "Of what kind?"

"I don't really know myself. But it works, and that's good enough for us. But you know... I'm not sure how most of their stuff works. They're so advanced, it is as if they are using magic."

Anya leaned in a bit more, "What do you mean?"

"You know that warship I told you about? What I did not tell you, is that it flew. An actual flying ship."

"Huh. Sure you weren't watching an airship?" Baird snorted unbelievingly. "You know, those with the big-ass envelopes filled with lighter than air gases."

"It definitely was not an aerostat, corporal." Lewis bit. "And then there are those 'sign frames' of theirs, or that's what they call the things at least."

"What's that?" Anya asked.

"One wave of a hand, and a screen just pops up in thin air. I... I lack the words to properly explain." Some of the terror from earlier in their conversation still remained, but it had been largely replaced by awe.

"Tell us more about them. Anyone in particular?"

"A few, but first and foremost their Vice President. She was the one who convinced us to join the Protectorate. Masazumi Honda's her name. She is startlingly young for a politician, but her skill and dedication are undeniable."

"Young?"

"Can't be anymore than eighteen. Same goes for their treasurer... and their clerk... and the one who commandeered the warship." the mayor narrowed his eyes as he thought back, "... They're all so... young."

The same thought went through every Gear in the room. Eighteen is awfully young for someone in a governmental position. "I see." Anya almost coughed as she tried to picture a government run by teenagers.

"I've got a communications' device in the town hall by the way. You can contact them now if you'd like." Lewis offered.

"I'm sorry, but now's not the time. It's a job for the Chairman, not us."

"I understand. If you'd like to inspect the VNB right now, I can get Will to fetch the keys and show you around there."

"We would greatly appreciate that. Also, if it's not too much trouble, we could use someplace to stay."

"Of course. We could prepare a room for you at the town hall, or would you rather be billeted with families?"

"The former will do, thank you."

Marcus leaned invisibly towards her as the mayor got up and excused himself, and muttered under his breath; "Take Bernie and Dom to check the base. The rest of us will go and take another look at the reactor."

"Be careful."

The man let out a reassuring grunt, just in time as the bar's owner brought another round of liquid refreshments to the gathering as the crowd started to break up with the conclusion of this meeting – many leaving lower in spirit than they did coming here.

Deep down, she desperately hoped the worst had been put behind them – and that a future of growth and recovery awaited them - Locust or not.

* * *

_15:23; 17th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - The Musashino bridge; Inadequate HQ_

They were already deep in a meeting when the news came in. Those involved being the entirety of the Chancellor's board, plus Masazumi and Neshinbara of the Student Council.

"So, another ship has been lost?" Futayo asked, not terribly pleased. She regarded the clerk, who had announced the loss with a deep frown – till she finally set her gaze back on the holographic map of the region they were gathered around. "Location?"

Neshinbara added a dot at the Stranded ship's last known location. It brought the number of ships lost over the last few days up to four.

The Chancellor's board primary concern is Musashi's defense and security, and all of its members viewed the latest information with uttermost severity – except Toori, of course. As the captured ships and crews (presumed to be dead) belonged to the Stranded clans under the Protectorate's banner, the board is obligated to see it as an attack against the Musashi itself.

Futayo took a single authoritative step closer to the map and indicated the number of attacks with the wave of an arm, "These, are the attacks sustained thus far, all in the eastern parts of the island chain as you can see. Little is known of the attackers thus far. All we have, is a name: The Lesser Islands Free Trade Association, or LIFTA."

_Free trade_. Masazumi mentally scoffed at the name._ It's just a gang of pirates and looters._

Her cousin continued, "With so many territories to watch over, most spread out, we are currently suffering from overstretch. This leaves the pirates with a distinct advantage: They can capture ships and begone before we can respond. The question is, how do we deal with this without weakening the security across the region?"

No one answered at first, but the samurai waited patiently for an answer.

Neshinbara, the one most familiar with history, responded first. "Many different measures have been taken to reduce the threat of piracy in the past. Primarily to either bribe the pirates into not attacking, or removing them militarily. Each with its own share of potential problems."

"Such as?"

"If we choose to bribe them, it's possibly they might still continue their unlawful work. It's like feeding the proverbial troll. If it works and stops the attacks, it could earn us the animosity of their victims for not going far enough to stop them." the clerk took a deep breath as he finished summarizing the first set of problems, then moved on; "Respond militarily on the other hand, and we'll earn the animosity of surviving pirates - as well as that of those who will think we went too far."

"Plainly put." Masazumi said, "We should try to find some middleground between the two, and hope it will be enough."

"Nay. Zero tolerance!" Ulquiaga firmly stated. "We displayed our capacity of restraint well enough at Vectes. Now it is time to show our military will and resolve. Find the pirate strongholds and wipe them out!"

"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Ulquiaga." Masazumi responded, deeply annoyed by such a bloodthirsty solution. "I'd prefer something less violent."

"We _could_ try to negotiate." Nate suggested. "They got to have a leader we could contact."

Tenzou resolutely turned down the notion, "I most apologize for this harshness, but these are mere brigands, Lady Nate. Criminals. We must not negotiate with such people."

"You wish to kill them all, then?"

"Why turn it into such a bloodbath?" Naomasa shrugged nonchalantly. Her calm demeanor cut clean through the tension. "Boats are one of their most important assets, correct?"

"Why, of course." Masazumi said. It had already dawned on her what the 8th Special Agent was going to suggest, or at least a part of it. "The Stranded who live along the coast and on the islands need boats, both for fishing and transport."

"Exactly. We do not need to negotiate, nor do we have to decimate their strongholds. All we need to do is sink their boats. With the world in its current state, they got no easy way to replace losses, so they'll get the message fast: Either they back off, or they will lose their whole fleet."

"I see." Futayo regarded the engineer with approval. "But it still leaves one thing to decide: How much of our forces should we dedicate for such an effort?"

"May I offer some input on that?" Margot had raised a hand, with a broad smile across her lips.

The samurai gave a curt nod, "Feel free."

"I believe we only need a couple of ships for this – each with its own complement of hexen to assist in the search for enemy targets. The only problem is identification..." she looked to her lover, as if she got the answer to that little problem.

"Well..." Naruze held up one of her pens for everyone to see, "... we could mark allied ships for that purpose in mind. If it ain't got no mark; sink it."

Futayo nodded as she listened, "That could work, but would take some time to execute."

"Not necessarily." Masazumi scratched her cheek as something occurred to her, "We could contact each clan representative and get them to secretly allocate their most trusted subordinates to add the markings – just in case there might be infiltrators about."

"It's a good idea... but..." Neshinbara shook his head, "...we need markings they cannot copy. Spatial drawings for example."

"That won't be a problem." Naruze assured them, "I can mobilize the manga club to speed up the process."

"Jud. All that's left is to convince the Stranded to keep from going out to sea till the markings are applied."

"And then the hunt can begin." Ulquiaga growled approvingly.

Masazumi looked to the half-dragon with something akin to concern. For security reasons, no non-humans should meet with the Stranded yet, she was worried he might do something brash.

"If that is all..." Futayo made a gesture that if she was armed with the tonbokiri, its butt would hit the floor with a resounding boom, "We should embark on preparations immediately. Any word before we proceed, Chancellor?"

Toori maintained that silly grin, his eyes closed mirthfully. "Hm~ Sure. It all sounds good. Doesn't it, Horizon?"

"Jud." the automatic doll leaned into view with that flat response, "We look forward to your success."

"Thank you, Lady Horizon, Lord Toori." Futayo said and dipped her head ceremoniously. The rest bowed slightly as well out of simple formality. "Now." she turned back to the rest with a sweeping motion, "Let us begin."

They responded in unison: "Jud!"

* * *

_17:23 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes – Pelruan reactor_

Marus looked over the monolithic structure. It seemed so out of place that it looked a whole lot larger than it actually is. He had led his half of Delta through the outskirts of Vectes' wilderness for the last couple of hours to get here – the raven's fuel is too precious to waste. If something went belly-up, it only had enough for a trip back to Port Farrall.

Baird was already at work by the wall, with a hand placed hard against its flawlessly flat wall. Searching for... something. A screwdriver hunt from the other hand, which he butted against the wall. He was eager enough to check the reactor out, but seemed to be at a loss now – which was both surprising and alarming.

"Problem?" Marcus asked.

Cole however was greatly confident about Baird's chances, "He's just getting his groove on, don't you worry." But he was in for a surprise as Baird eventually returned to them:

"Tch... I'm just a fraud." Shit had truly hit the fan if Baird so willingly put himself down like that – it hit the others' faces like a full-blown punch. "Can't tell if this shit's a machine... or a rectangular block of metal with paint on top. The only things that says it ain't the latter... are all those cables, and the faint hum coming from inside."

Marcus watched him evenly, "Then how about you find a way inside?"

"I've circled it, been looking for a way to get in. But there is nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. No sign of screws or bolt. No door. No gap. There's always a measure of instrumentality in every piece of machinery, a sort of internal blueprint – that is how people copy the tech of others. But this piece of crap got no instrumentality at all. It might just as well _be_ a block of metal."

"Alright. I get the picture." the sergeant rumbled.

"How about there's a trick to it?" Cole offered with a shrug.

Baird glowered at the structure and frowned. Barely even listening to Cole as he thought aloud; "They call it a reactor... but of what kind? It's not an Imulsion rig. Not a nuclear reactor. It doesn't get power from the wind, nor is it geothermal. Asked of how deep it goes, and it runs no further than twenty-five feet deep – give or take. This shit has got to be _something_."

Marcus grunted an acknowledgment, and decided to finally press his earpiece. "Control, this is Delta." It was about time to report back.

Once again, Prescott answered his call, "We hear you Delta. What is it?"

He groaned inside, and made sure to keep it down. "We have made contact with the folks of the local village of Pelruan. All COG citizen who were cut off after the hammer strikes."

It was a case of insane luck to say the least, and those back in Port Farrall were also surprised, judging by the brief silence that followed, until the Chairman broke it with great enthusiasm, "Absolutely extraordinary-"

"Anya's inspecting the naval base along with a local as we speak – you'll hear it from her if this island's the solution." he continued as if he did not hear Prescott's response. "But I'm calling in for a different reason. Do you have any world maps or history books handy?"

He got his response to that, this time it was Hoffman; "Why?"

"I need you guys to look up a single name." Marcus stated bluntly, "Musashi. I repeat; M-u-s-a-s-h-i."

Prescott gave it a thought and replied, "I daresay there exist no country nor geographical location nor town by that name. What is it?"

"Apparently, it's an city-state based on some island out there. The locals are currently engaged in some trade agreement with them." he did not mention about the Protectorate. That would be Anya's beast to wrestle with. "That's where all these new tech came from. Mostly agricultural robots, and a reactor of unknown type."

"Unknown? What is Corporal Baird's take on it?"

"He can't make sense of it, sir." Marcus grumbled, and fully expected a shocked silence to occur. "Wherever the hell_ they_ came from, they got a seriously high technology base. And I got a hunch they can do far more than this."

"Threat-level?" Hoffman demanded.

"Unknown. The villagers keep referring to an airborne battleship though. As for its firepower - also unknown. They never saw it fire a shot."

It was bad news. And made him remember of a time when his father held a speech where he criticized the COG for narrow ways of thinking in regards to warfare – which could someday come back to bite them in the ass. And it did. The navy had been largely neglected all this time, and that's gonna cost them if conflict arises.

"Delta." the colonel moved on. "You got a new objective: Threat assessment. We need you to investigate and discern whether they are a threat to the Coalition. Whichever approach you decide on is your decision. Direct communications, or by ways of infiltration if at all possible – though, if you choose the latter."

"If we get caught, the Coalition will deny any involvement, and we'll be on our own." Marcus nodded, "I got it." he could almost feel Hoffman echoing his motion, but much more grimly.

"Keep us updated, Control out."

"Copy that." he looked back to the others. "Great."

No shortage of high-risk missions, even with most of the grubs dead.

* * *

_18:01; 17__th__ June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Above England_

Though it is far smaller than the country it was based on, England was still an imposing hovering landmass. Francis looked down on its upper surface with some slight trepidation from the deck of his ship, Walsingham wordlessly at his side.

A short time after Oxford had regained their collective footing – in a manner of speaking that is, they were quick to hide England from direct view, by shrouding it with dense mists.

Up ahead, the "Granuaile", Grace's ship, slowly approached them. And behind it, the half-wolf could see a satellite of sorts illuminated by warning lights – surrounded by portions of the English fleet – the location of the strange hole reportedly.

The other ship settled alongside his. From there, Grace O'Malley was quick to come on board in a burst of green light. "Welcome back." she managed to greet despite the donut she got in her mouth.

"Good to be back." Francis responded with a raise of his shoulders, "But our mission's in shambles. We've searched the whole damned region, and found no trace of the phenomenon. Islands, mainland and ocean floor. But nothing."

"I see." Grace slumped, "Guess it was too much to hope for."

"On the other hand, Musashi's been a bunch of very busy ants with the natives."

"We've noticed. But our Queen has decided to take no action as of yet."

"The natives are a bunch of savages anyway. I'm legitimately surprised they haven't taken a harder approach to them."

"Musashi doesn't have great military prowess to begin with." Grace shrugged without worry, her confidence well-founded. "The only reason they got weapons was due to their status as mercenaries earlier, which gave them the privilege to acquire medium to heavy-class weaponry. The natives on the other hand aren't a threat."

"Good to know. What of the hole?" he gestured almost lazily to the satellite.

The dryad shrugged, "... We are still studying it. It's not all that big, but we've found no way to manipulate it thus far."

"How big is it?"

"At most, enough for a kobold to pass through - if we're lucky."

"Then-"

"Anyone we send through would be doomed to die if we try it though. It goes without saying that the hole's far above sea-level on the other side as well. Even if it survived the fall, it would still have to swim all the way to the mainland."

"An impossible task."

"Quite." Grace looked back at him evenly, "Anyway, since you haven't found the phenomenon yet, the Queen want you to go back out there, and search through neighboring regions."

"Oof, figured as much. But we will need extra supplies."

"And you shall have it. My crew is getting ready to bring it on board."

"I do hope plenty milk has been added."

"Milk and meat." she rolled her eyes, "Both have been taken care of. Just... don't let any natives see what species a portion of it came from."

Francis waved his claws casually, "Huh, of course."

"Well then, I bid you good luck on your little expedition Francis Drake." Grace briefly saluted, just long enough for him to respond in kind before she vanished back to her ship in another burst of bright green light.

Numerous ropes extended from respective ships as their crews went to work to bring the new supplies in. But Francis did not watch for long, his maw stretching to show off a toothy grin as he turned to Walsingham – who continued to observe without a word. "I'll be in my quarters till we're ready to go."

The automaton responded in the affirmative with the opening of a sign frame.

Satisfied, he went down below deck without another word.

* * *

**Author notes**: The rate at which I update my stories aren't among the quickest. Got other stories and projects that I need to pay attention to too. Thanks for the reviews thus far.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Trespass**

* * *

_21:09; 17th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – Okutama_

Masazumi walked along the gradually emptying street as night crept ever closer. People heading home, shops closing for the day and so on. Despite their current situation, people still went on living as if nothing had changed. It at least was gratifying.

She herself had just been on the "Asakusa" and watched alongside Toori and Horizon as the two newest warships; the "Yamamoto" and the "Mirai" detached from their respective docks. Fully equipped, fueled and crewed for the military expedition – which purpose is to stop the ongoing piracy dead in its tracks, led by Vice Chancellor Futayo herself. With 3rd and 4th Special Agents Margot and Naruze along with each their squadron of fellow witches to command.

It was immensely satisfying to watch, to say the least. The small flotilla was the result of hours of extensive planning. Thankfully, the Stranded leaders were easy to persuade on the issue of marking their ships. They were gratified by the knowledge that the Musashi is going to take action against the growing piracy in the region, though those of the clans that subsist mainly on fishing _were_ hesitant until they were comfortably reassured that they won't have to wait for long.

A low growl interrupted her train of thought, and reminded her yet again that it is time for supper. It was largely the reason she now headed for the Blue Thunder instead of the student dorms. A small cafe run by the mother of Toori and Kimi. To say she was surprised when she discovered, that was an understatement.

The shop however still seemed to be open - much to her joy - when she eventually arrived at the cafe, and could not help but smile hungrily at the scent of baked bread tickling against her nostrils.

"Oh, this is a late visit."

Masazumi's gaze was drawn to the woman who stood outside the store with a broom in hand. The cafe's owner; Yoshiki Aoi. "Good evening. Still open for business?"

The woman met her at the door and gave the girl a welcoming smile, "Just for a bit longer. You'll be my last customer for the evening." and entered the cafe, with the Vice President following her in. "So, would you like the usual?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Yo." another greeted. The cafe was not all that big, with no more than a few tables. One of them happened to be occupied. At it sat the aging Sakai Tadatsugu. Though he looked and acted rather aloof and lazy, he still managed to radiate an aura of power. He is the current principal of Ariadust Academy, but not being a student meant he possessed zero political power. Where he goes, 'Musashi' often accompanies him, but this time he was deep in conversation with Mary Stuart when he noticed the Vice President.

Masazumi approached their table and bowed, "Good evening Sakai, did not expect to see you here."

"No need to go formal here, Masazumi." the man chuckled. "Feel free to sit with us."

"Oh, I don't want to intrude."

"I don't mind." Mary said with a generous smile that easily matched that of Yoshiki, "I wanted to meet with you earlier, but since you were busy..."

Yoshiki gave the final push as she came and put the platter covered with the usual along with a cup of tea on the table. It was like a mental nudge of sorts, which Masazumi surrendered to as she finally went and sat down, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." the shop's owner said as she went back to cleaning.

Masazumi gently picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. A pleasant sigh escaping her lips as the hot liquid poured down her throat before she finally regarded Mary, "So... what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, I would like you to show me around a few places."

"Oh? Aren't Tenzou able to?"

"You guys have been so busy lately, and I did not want to be a burden."

"Um, I guess I can accommodate you tomorrow morning if you'd like. We could meet up after I'm done teaching at the primary school for the day. Is there any particular place you'd like to see?"

"Well..."

Sakai shrugged, "Said she'd like to see the Asama shrine."

Masazumi blinked. "Ah, that's where Tomo lives." and thought of her fellow classmate, who despite her profession of shrine maiden are oft referred to as the Sniper Maiden for her skills with a bow and arrow. Tomo thought of the nickname as annoying, but well deserved to say the least after she sniped the turret off a warship, and overpowered a charged ether cannon blast to do it. "Actually, I got some business there myself. So we can go there right off the bat."

"Okay, thanks." Mary replied appreciatively, "I would like to know a little more about Shinto rituals, so I thought that would be the best place for it."

"I'm sure Tomo will be happy to inform you. On my part, it's about my mouse, Tsukinowa."

"Oh, I heard Tomo provided you with one." Sakai said tugging at the pipe he usually kept unlit.

"Hasn't acknowledged me yet though." Masazumi shook her head, "With everything that has gone on, there hasn't been enough time and room for bonding. Probably wandering around the Musashi, unless Tomo found it."

"What type is it?" Mary asked.

"An ant-eater. Originally thought it would be a dog."

The old man laughed, "Random selection, and you got a newborn cub for a mouse. Cute."

Mary giggled in turn at the sound of that, "Aw, now I wanna see it."

"Maybe you'll see it tomorrow the—" Masazumi was interrupted as she was contacted through divine transmission. Their attention drawn to the appearing image of Naomasa.

"Hey." the 6th Special Agent greeted simply and flatly. "May I have a word with you?"

"Why, of course. What is it?"

"We would like permission to take the 'Bontenmaru' and go check the Pelruan reactor."

_The "Bontenmaru". That's one of our remaining cargo ships_, Masazumi noted to herself. "Maintenance, or repair? Did something happen?"

"As you probably know, the reactors are equipped with sensory equipment for the purpose of alerting us in case of malfunctioning or tampering. We got one such call just now, but it was clearly delayed. So it's not functioning as well as we thought it would."

As if to press how serious the issue is, a written permission was provided via an additional sign frame. Naomasa's too much of a stoic to let urgency show unless the situation called for it. Masazumi took a moment to read it before she signed it, "Alright, looks good. You got the permission. Good luck out there, and be careful. Until Massy's mood improves, Vectes' is a powder-keg."

"I'm aware. It is not going to be a problem. Good evening."

"Never a dull moment, eh?" Sakai grinned.

"Always something." Masazumi raised her shoulders to shrug it off, "And I need to tell Neshinbara too, so he may notify Pelruan's mayor about this. But... I think I'll wolf this down first."

"Don't forget to take it easy, girl. Doubt your father would lambaste you for catching a break every once a while."

"I'm sorry, but my father would take a rusty sword to you – and me - if your laziness rubbed off on me."

"Jud. Point taken."

* * *

_21:30 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes - Pelruan – Outside Town Hall_

Several hours had been spent to thoroughly check out the Vectes Naval Base to excruciating detail, and finally they had gotten back to Pelruan to join up with the others. Anya felt just about ready to hit the sack. Exhaling in pure relief when she could finally climb out of Will's old pickup truck along with Dom and Bernie, both of whom looked a whole lot more awake than she did.

"Thanks for the help, mr. Berenz."

"Not a problem." the deputy mayor replied with a respectful nod, "Just call in if there's any trouble."

"Will do."

"Good night then." he said, and promptly drove off.

These people had no idea how much of a paradise this place seemed like to her and the others. And they would certainly not understand if some of her comrades suddenly woke up screaming. Dr. Hayman often ranted about how damaged many Gears are from more than a decade of near-constant fighting. It was no exaggeration that most Gears are more noisy while asleep than they are awake. Except people like Baird, that is. He always slept soundly according to the rest of Delta.

"Let's get inside, shall we?" Dom asked, already opening the main entrance.

The much more elderly Bernie brushed past him with surprising nimbleness, "Ladies first."

Coming from a sniper, that was the case of a mirthful chuckle all-around. Without another word, they all stepped inside to find the room they and the rest had been given – each step through the short corridors of the building sounding like a full-force stomp in the following silence. And before long, they came across Lewis' office, which door was wide open.

Anya gave a passing glance into the room, but caught sight of something that made her slow to a stop. A most peculiar object stood atop the table at the mayor's wooden desk. It resembled the tower further inland to a degree, except this one was barely large enough to fit in one hand. Fascinated and curious, she changed course and went in.

"Anya?" Dom could be heard asking as he turned and followed her in. "What is it?"

"I believe..." she indicated the item as she ventured to the desk and leaned against it for a closer look, "... this just might be the device Lewis spoke of. The thing that may be used to communicate with Musashi."

Dom did not venture much closer, but he examined it with some slight interest. "Sure it ain't just a miniature model of that tower?"

"Honestly, if it's a phone, they should have made it look like one." Bernie commented quietly, "Looking like that, it could be any-"

She stopped as the device's eccentric lines of light suddenly began to pulse - fluctuating between darker and lighter hues of teal. Almost as though the thing is breathing.

"Okay..." Dom started, "That's weird."

It was right about then that Anya made out a feature on the device in the form of a lone button. Just like the lines, it too pulsed along at the same steady pace. "Maybe it's an incoming call."

"Don't tamper with the thing. Lewis ain't here, so let's just leave it alone."

But it did not seem the device was going to let itself go unanswered. The pulse stopped, and an image materialized just above it – which automatically focused on the person closest to the item. In this case, Anya. She took just a second to look over the image's frame before her eyes settled on the person who showed up. A bespectacled young boy with brown hair and curious teal-colored eyes.

"Greeting citizen." the boy said with a gesture that might just be a bow, not easy to tell with such a narrow frame, "I apologize for the lateness of this call, but I need a message delivered to Mayor Lewis."

Anya assumed he thought she was a Pelruan denizen, and acted accordingly; "He's not available at this time. He went home early."

The boy adjusted his glassed with a single prod of a finger, nodding in understanding. "Very well. Could you relay my words to him then?"

"Alright. What about?"

"It is naught but a notification. One of our ships - the "Bontenmaru" - has departed for your island to give the Ether-vein reactor a little checkup. We would just like you to know of this in advance."

"I got it. When will it arrive?"

The boy glanced at something off-screen, "Hm, about six hours from now."

Anya postponed the rapid thought-process that went through her head with that knowledge, "Alright, I'll let him know."

"Thank you. That's it for now. Have a splendid evening."

"You too." she said before the transmission shut down, and immediately made her way for the door. "Come, we got to let the others know."

* * *

_21:14 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes – Pelruan - Town Hall – Reserved Room_

The atmosphere within the room was tense. Around the lone table placed in the middle sat the three of those who had gone to see the tower earlier – playing cards, one of Gears' very few pastimes.

Cole was naturally bad at the game, if only because of his oft complete lack of a poker-face. His expression seemed to constantly shift from a grin to a frown depending on his hand. It was like reading a book with really big letters. Baird's on the other hand had settled into a near-permanent sneer, and drew cards like he intended to punch someone. Marcus himself though maintained a stone-faced expression that made him look as though he had been carved from the side of a mountain.

It was nearing its end, and something clearly had to give... until their collected attention was blown to pieces as the door flew open. A quick turn of attention revealed the arrivals to be Anya, with the others following in her wake.

"Hey, you just interrupted a kick-ass round, baby." Cole guffawed as he shifted in his chair, which creaked under his mammoth frame. Fortunately their armors and weapons were off, or the furniture would of fared much worse. "So how did that base check out, nice and cozy?"

"Perfectly." Bernie replied with a thumb up, "But the wallpaper has got to go."

"If it's a Sharks' wallpaper, I'd prefer it to stay." Baird shrugged.

The aging Gear did not raise to the bait, "How did it go at that reactor?"

"Went to shit." Marcus growled as he put the cards face-down on the table. "Baird here could not make sense of it."

"Blondie couldn't?" Bernie asked with notable surprise, "Will wonders ever cease?"

"Anyway..." Anya interrupted, "We just happened to intercept a communique via the communicator Lewis got - in a manner of speaking - from Musashi."

The room got a whole lot more quiet with that. Marcus raised an eyebrow but an inch, "Go on."

"Fortunately, the one who called in thought I was a member of this community. He said a ship is set to arrive here to check up on the reactor in six hours. And yes, it's a reactor – just like Lewis said."

"Did he give you _any_ specifics about it?" Baird cut in rather impatiently.

"Er.. he referred to it as a Ether-vein reactor." she did a shake of her head at his bewilderment, "And what that means.. I'm just as lost as you."

"Point is..." Marcus said calmly, "... we got a real shot here to see them up close. And possibly do something more than sitting on our asses."

"So what we're gonna do is?" Dom asked, "What?"

"Hoffman said we need to assess the threat-level of this new force. What do we know so far?"

"They got serious tech." Baird snorted his contribution to the list.

"They are human." Anya added.

Marcus nodded, "Except that, we know nothing. There are too many unknowns here. And I don't think talking to them is gonna be enough."

"We're gonna have to get really sneaky then." Cole noted.

Anya instantly looked worried, "What, infiltration? Isn't that too reckless?"

"What we'll do is not set in stone yet." Marcus reassured her. "Anya, you and Bernie coordinate with Mitchell and Gettner. Did you notify Prescott about the state of this island?"

"Yes, I did. The first ravens will arrive with personnel to prepare the VNB for large-scale habitation tomorrow. Should I ask them to post-pone it?"

He thought it over for a spell, then responded in the negative. "No. Stopping it now would do more harm than good. Dom, Baird, Cole – you're with me. We're gonna head back to the reactor and hunker down till that ship arrive." - "Use this next hour to rest and prepare, after that; we move out."

* * *

_03:11 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes - Pelruan harbor_

"Done already?"

"Almost. Mitchell and Bernie are putting on the finishing touches. In all honesty, I don't like seeing my bird dressed as a tree."

Gettner rarely went far away from her chopper. Flying and taking care of it was a huge part of her coping mechanism about everything that has happened over the years. Anya had to suppress a wave of surprise before that prior question came out. "Please bear with it for now."

"Yes, yes. Doesn't mean I'm happy about it."

"Noted." she stated without sounding too crass. Peering through her binocular at the horizon along a wide arc – searching for any trace of the ship that is supposed to come shortly. Though it was in the middle of the night, they were helped by the clear moon.

So far though, nothing.

Gettner turned and squinted in an entirely different direction, like she had just seen something. "Look north. Is that...?"

Anya jerked to follow the pilot's gaze. There, she could plainly see an approaching flare of light. A closer look revealed it to be the ship they waited fore - the strange light coming from its middle. Most importantly, it is flying.

She pressed her earpiece; "Delta. Target is inbound. I repeat! The target is inbound!"

* * *

_03:13 – 14 A.E._

_Vestes – Pelruan Reactor_

"Roger that." Marcus affirmed, and gestured to his comrades; "Delta – stand to."

They had been hunkered down beyond the treeline that circled the so-called Ether-vein reactor for the better part of three hours. None of them used foliage to cover themselves, and instead relied on the dark of night and shadows to mask themselves. Waiting for what was to come.

"Still got it?" Cole asked Dom, who was the only one of them with Commando training.

"I guess we'll find out."

"Enough, be quiet." Marcus groused with narrowed eyes. He was almost startled as he felt the slightest tremor beneath his feet. His first reflex was to look around at all the topsoil he could see for any disturbances that could translate into e-holes.

Dom clapped a hand against his back and gestured, "Above."

Marcus' gaze left the ground. It took a whole lot of effort to break the decade-old habit and look to the skies, where a large shape suddenly blocked out the moon. It was a flying ship, just what Lewis told them about.

The ship had the looks of a fancy-looking spear with a thick shaft, its frame covered in geometric sharp edges, giving it a block-like appearance despite the former resemblance. A wave of constant-pulsing energy around its waterline was especially eye-catching and illuminated the ship's frame nicely.

One thing was preparing for it, but actually seeing it. That was an entirely different ball-game. Cole let out a long whistle as he stared at it, while the others had frozen into place.

It came to circle lazily around the tower, as if to prepare to moor - which was seemingly confirmed when a flurry of cables shot out from the ship that fastened against the pulsating lines on the tower itself. In turn, the cables began to glow strongly for reasons the Gears could not discern. It was all Marcus could do to describe what was going on.

A minute passed, and the ship eventually and fully stopped – hovering just ten feet scarce of the ground.

"Baird?" he growled.

The blonde looked like his brain had crashed, and only rebooted once the sergeant addressed him. "What! The hell do you want me to say?"

"Just be ready to move."

A large cargo-door opened close to its rear, from which a number of ropes shot to the ground. Marcus had to squint to make out anything at this distance. A number of digital-looking panels popped into place around the ropes, which purpose were completely unknown to him. It was a puzzling sight, but nothing compared to what happened next.

Some people started coming out of the cargo-door. Marcus thought they were going to climb down... and nearly got something stuck in his throat as the crew did not climb... but _walked_ down on the ropes.

They are actually _walking_ down a _near-vertical_ surface, chatting and wandering like it was no big deal.

"What... the... hell...?" Baird's eyes looked about ready to vacate their sockets in disbelief. "All of that... do you have any idea how many laws of physics this scene violates?"

Marcus shrugged, "Doesn't matter. They're doing it."

But at the very least, the newcomers are indeed humans. Most looked like they are in their teens to early twenties. All the teens dressed in a black-white-gray-red uniform. The males' being of the more loose and formal kind, while the females' clothing appeared to be almost universally skintight. The exception being the grown ups that wore fancy overalls, and the number of armed guards that carried weapons that was hard to identify based on those slim frames - submachine gun maybe.

The individual who stood out the most was the young brunette at the center of the group that went to inspect the tower. Allen key in mouth, and sporting an oversized prosthetic arm that did not look like it strained her at all.

And once at the tower, the very same woman effortlessly did what Baird could not; find and open a door. She just brought up one of those strange digital screens - sign frames maybe - and opened the entrance seamlessly with a single prompt – allowing her and the others with her to move on into the reactor's interior.

Only leaving the guards to spread out in twos and threes around the perimeter.

"So what do we do now, Marcus?" Dom asked cautiously.

Marcus contemplated what they had seen so far. A previously unknown faction in possession of absurdly advanced technology. Information on them so limited they would have no choice but to take their words at face value and hope it is correct if they choose to contact them first - benevolent or not.

They needed a complete picture of this faction before any real contact can be established. That left him with fewer options than he liked.

And from that, his decision was made. "Delta. Let's see if we can get aboard that ship unnoticed."

"Thought as much." Dom mused, "I'll take point."

"Baird, cover the rear."

"Rearguard-duty. Great." the blonde grumbled, but did as told.

"Anya." Marcus spoke as quietly as possible. Finger resting against his earpiece. "We are moving in. Will report back as often as reasonable. Failure to do so for ten hours indicates mission failure. Wish us luck."

* * *

_03:18 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes – Pelruan harbor_

Anya clapped a hand over her mouth as she received that, a gasp dying before it could leave her throat.

"What is it?" Gettner asked, disturbed by the Gear's negative change of expression. "Did something happen?"

"He... they have decided to commence with infiltration."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." the pilot tried to reassure her, "After all, that bunch of cockroaches managed to get through the hollows just fine without much in the way of backup."

"It's not the same. We know almost nothing of what the newcomers are capable of."

"Shit. That is exactly why it needs to be done. Better an enemy we know than an ally we _don't_ know. Get your act together and answer him."

Anya swallowed nervously, and pressed her earpiece; "C-copy that Delta. Be careful."

* * *

_03:21 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes – Pelruan Reactor_

"Did she call back?"

"Yep, she did."

By now, Delta had already circled most of the area in their bid to get closer to the ship above, to the ropes that lead up to it. So far, the foreigners showed no sign of noticing the team as they cautiously went from shadow to shadow.

"Hey." Cole whispered, "Don't you think that huge-ass ship should have noticed us by now?"

Baird spared a single glance at and across its frame. "No sign of guns. I'm guessing this ain't a warship. Maybe it doesn't have the systems to find and track us."

"Works for me." Marcus breathed. Staying low like the others as they finally breached the treeline, just a rock throw away from the closest rope they had little choice but to use. Their resident former-thrashball player eyed it with the sort of nervousness he shows with every kind of airborne transport.

Dom indicated it, "So... who'll be the first to try that thing?"

That all of them reeked of reluctance was bloody obvious. "Hrm. I'll go." Marcus decided, and scrubbed his thick-soled boots against the grass to clear the mud underneath after a good look at the rope close-up. It was meticulously clean, and he imagined the interior of the ship was the same. "If this works, let's not leave any overly obvious footprints."

"Right."

Once his boots was comfortably clean, he approached the rope and faced it so those strange signs flanked him before he finally planted a boot against it. A strange sensation crept over him, but he ignored it and took another step, then another. Marcus quickly decided that It felt no different than walking across a chasm on a bridge, and what a bizarre chasm this is from his current perspective. He tossed a glance at his comrades below, all whose eyes were comically round with astonishment.

"Aw shit." Baird said, scratching his noggin like a migraine assaulted him. "What next?"

Marcus shrugged, "We go up."

"Oh, alright. Up. You first."

Before long, they all steadily walked along the length of the rope. Cole furthest in the rear. The only reason Baird went on third was enough curiosity to slaughter a menagerie of cats.

"This is freaky as all hell!" Cole very nearly shouted. "What if this thing shorted out?"

"Don't jinx us."

"Worry about what may be ahead." Dom said. "Need to find someplace to hide for the time being."

Marcus shortly reached the top, and peered into a well lit mixture of a miniature hangar and a cargo-hold. There was little inside aside from a few stacks of materials. No sign of on-board security. Maybe the possibility of infiltration never occurred to these people, or all of the security details are focused on vital areas.

"Clear?"

"Clear. But this place is no good. Let's see if we can find a cabin."

Delta climbed aboard the ship and continued on cautiously. In regard to noise from the ship itself, all they could hear was a gentle hum from its engine. _If_ it's engine noise at all. Otherwise it was quiet.. untill-

"Get behind cover!" Dom hissed abruptly when he heard someone approaching.

All as one, they bolted to the side and threw themselves onto their haunches just behind the largest stack in sight. Warily listening as commotion entered the area in the form of two young people – a giggling girl who was being chased by one who they assumed to be her boyfriend. It reached a peak, causing the noise to turn into a clamor when he finally caught her. Nothing hostile, just a young couple frolicking about.

It ended quickly though as a burst of weird static invaded the space, followed by the voice of a young woman who regarded the couple with great familiarity; "Now, if you're done playing around – come down and give us a hand."

The girl half of the couple fidgeted intensely at the interruption, "Aw. You got the worst timing. We'll be right there."

Dom waited till the couple had left before he looked up to see if they are gone. "Coast's clear."

Not the stealthiest group in the world, a series of groans exploded as they pushed themselves out of hiding and moved on, Dom once again taking point while Marcus himself acted as rearguard. For now, their mission would continue without a hitch. All that remained for now was to find a place where they could stay concealed for the duration of this trip.

* * *

_04:23; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Vectes – Pelruan Reactor_

Naomasa gave a nod of satisfaction as she finished the adjustments on her end, and slid the data-block back into its slot. There were more problems present than she thought there would be. Primary systems functioned without any issue, but minor systems and its alarm system suffered from enough bugs to break an elephant's back.

"Perhaps we were too hasty." she concluded, and wrote down notes for future reference, so they might avoid building faulty reactors in the future. Exhaling a sigh past the Allen key she often held lazily in her mouth, the young engineer eased herself back into the main shaft – in which the core could be plainly seen in the shape of a shrine. "All done over here. How about the rest of you?"

Fifteen feet above, one of her colleagues poked her head out of one of several maintenance shafts, "Just finished!"

"Same here!" another called out further above.

Naomasa hummed appreciatively, "Good work. Now see if the others need help."

"Jud!"

She turned her attention to the core, which continued to pulse steadily. It was a pale shadow compared to the one in the Mikawa reactor – which looked like a grandiose temple. Immediately - as if reacting to her - it posted data for her to review. Consistent with previous readings, the ether density in the air here is slightly lower than it is at England. The further they moved themselves from it, the lower the ether density.

It was a bothersome situation. Naomasa hoped for the irregularities to disappear eventually. Till then, it will keep the Engineering club's hands full. For now, she simply recorded all the readings for later review.

"Naomasa!"

She blinked and checked the time. Another fifteen minutes had gone by while she stood there submerged in her thoughts. She half-turned and smiled at the one who addressed her with a bright smile; Mishina Hiro, a transfer student from Izumo – the place where the Musashi was originally built. "Feeling tired?"

"Jud, but I will deal." Hiro grinned. "I thought we'd find trouble here, judging from what I've heard."

"Don't think they even know we're here. Even then, they'd be too spooked after what Adele and Nate put them through – so don't you worry."

"I'm not afraid. We got you here after all."

Naomasa could not help but smile warmly. It was known to the whole crew that – for the sake of security – she had made sure they brought her Jizurisuzaku along. The God of War she built from scavenged parts lay concealed on the top deck of the "Bontenmaru". She wouldn't let any of Massy's men put their hands on her crew, not on her watch.

Her expression turned half-serious momentarily as the chatter above became increasingly casual, and triggered a crew-wide divine transmission; "All done with your assigned duties?"

A chorus of affirmatives answered her.

"Then hurry up and clear out." she ordered and prepared to reboot the reactor as her fellow engineers climbed down from each their assigned station and left. Once only she and Hiro remained, she went ahead with the reboot. Around them, the reactor darkened as all but the most essential systems stopped, then lit up again. Naomasa nodded appreciatively as status report flowed in, showing no abnormality within the system.

"All good to go?" Hiro asked.

"Jud." Naomasa confirmed and exited with the younger student so they could seal the reactor. Immediately after, she addressed her co-workers; "Good job everyone. We leave for home in ten."

More than just a few cheered in anticipation and relief at the thought of returning back home - all ignorant of the stowaways their ship now carried. Soon to be the first of those upon this world to see the city-state from which these foreigners came.

* * *

Author notes: Another chapter done. Delta is in for a sneaky visit to the Musashi. But whether they will keep going without a problem, or if they will end up in a... ahem... student contention, is still up in the air.

Being self-critical can be good. But it can also be a real pain in the arse. Sometimes it just need a a knee delivered to its crotch, or endless self-criticism results in a complete freeze.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Capture**

* * *

_05:47 – 14 A.E._

_Kraken Class Cargo Ship "Bontenmaru"_

"So far... so good."

Marcus had positioned himself roughly in the furthest corner from the door of the cabin they had sequestered themselves away in. It was feared that the doors inside the ship would be as sophisticated as the one they saw the strangers open back at the reactor, but these were surprisingly mundane – opening them required no more than the turning of knobs, instead of those fancy-looking frames, much to their collective relief.

This place looked like it hasn't been used for a while, which made it good enough as a place to hide out for the duration of the trip. They came across it during their cautious trip through this part of the ship, a couple of floors above the cargo hold they entered it through - just past those weird gravity-altering ropes.

Dom stood by the door, loosely gripping his lancer in a way to present its butt to anyone who might come in – to take them out fast without making a mess of everything. Baird on the other hand sat at the solitary table, examining the walls and floor from where he sat with a meticulous frown. Cole on the other hand tried to busy himself in this numbing silence by looking through the cabinet drawers next to the bed. All empty, but that did not do shit to stop him.

That and the bed without a mattress was how they safely came to the conclusion that this place was their best bet.

"If only there was a locking mechanism for this door." Dom commented while paying rapt attention to whatever might be going on outside. Appropriate for the lateness of the hour, most of the crew did not seem to be active... or the crew on board was smaller in number than it'd otherwise be.

"Or maybe there is." Baird answered, "Only we can't use it. And we shouldn't try to."

Dom shrugged, "I know. Do nothing that might draw attention."

Marcus did not say anything. Only a low rumble escaped his throat as he submerged himself into his own thoughts.

"What are you thinking about, Marcus?"

The Santiago knew him almost too well at times. "Just thinking about where we're going: Direction, speed of this ship, and the time it took to get here. Something doesn't add up."

"Yeah?"

Marcus retrieved an old map of the region from his pocket and folded it out, "What I'm saying is: There is no island within that distance capable of housing a city-state."

"Unless it can travel a whole lot faster than it showed." Baird put words to his thoughts about the subject, "For all we know, the actual island could be a whole lot further away."

"Maybe."

"Anyway, seriously, look at this thing. The inside's pretty plain-looking and all. Narrow hallways and steep stairs like one would expect from a ship. But it flies, its engines purrs softer than a kitten, and don't get me started on this perfectly smooth sailing."

No arguing with that. The ship was obviously in motion, yet Cole had yet to even feel nauseous. Normally he'd be tagging the walls with puke by now. He could not handle most types of transportation. Ravens especially disagreed with him.

"I'm telling you, aside from subs, this is the closest thing to a spacecraft."

"You will probably end up marrying a bot." Cole laughed.

"Hey, women – not the hard-ass bitches – _likes_ practical guys. I _am_ that kind of guy."

"Your attitude needs some work though." Dom drawled.

"Huh? Picking a fight with me, asshole?"

"Cool it." Marcus warned almost dangerously, transfixing them with his icy blue glare. No one moved, except...

"Whoops!"

All three closed their eyes for a split moment in a wave of sudden resignation before they collectively turned to Cole, who had just pressed his finger against a dot on the wall above the bed, only to see it widen into a window of sorts that displayed a slightly turbulent ocean in the late hours of night.

Marcus' voice came out low and hard, "Gus, turn that off."

"Wait, does that show what's outside?" Baird wondered as he went past Cole to examine the picture.

He pushed himself back on his feet, irritation evident. "I don't give a flying shit what it shows – turn it off!"

* * *

_A few minutes ago. 05:30; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Kraken Class Cargo Ship "Bontenmaru" - Captain's Cabin_

A low and tired groan emanated from Naomasa as she chewed through a meal she had quickly prepared after coming down to the cabin usually reserved for the ship's captain. Nothing overly complicated; some fried rice with carrots and daikon.

Next to the bowl and glass of water lay a talisman of compressed sleep – which squeezes a full nights' worth of sleep into a short nap. A real blessing in busy times, especially as she had no plans to skip school or any other duties any more than she was forced to.

She finished chowing down the rest of the meal, and sat back to relax and digest for a bit before she would apply the talisman. But not being the most easily relaxed person of her class, she brought up a sign frame complete with a detailed image of the Bontenmaru's frame, and checked its power-usage.

Before they left Vectes, they transferred most of the ether the reactor had absorbed from the air so far onto the ship. No more than nine hundred Haiki, but it was a start.

This line of thought made the woman pause to think of the plan she had been formulating back home lately. Considering the world they had ended up in, she thought it would be best if they underwent some exercises tailored specifically for situations when energy runs low for one reason or another – when cutting power to a sufficient number of non-critical systems could mean the difference between life and death.

_Guess that's what I'll bring up next meeting... as if I don't have enough work to do._

Almost absently, she cycled through the overview of minor systems and whatever else is draining power at the moment – committing each to memory – deck after deck.

The list of compartments drained away till it was all but time to apply the talisman, at which she motioned to close the frame and go to sleep when she finally came across something. Nothing big... it was minute, easily ignorable. What made her notice was that a tiny stream of energy was being fed into one of the cabins not in use by the crew.

Naomasa summoned the crews' roster, both permanent and temporary – displaying which cabins everyone were assigned to, along with their locations. None of which are in the cabin she is currently looking at.

But the investigation ground to a halt as she released an exasperated sigh, "Honestly, am I even this bored?" Someone had probably been in there, and forgot to turn whatever device still ran in there when they left. Nothing to get ones panties in a bunch over.

Then the feed stopped. Whatever ran in there had been turned off.

It made the young woman freeze into place, if only momentarily. Her stunned expression instantly replaced by a stern frown.. _Okay, either we got ghosts on board – not for the first time, mind. Or we got people that aren't supposed to be here.  
_

Alarmed, Naomasa almost immediately opened a divine transmission to the bridge, "Captain."

A woman a bit older than her greeted with a salute, "Lady Naomasa, thought you'd be asleep by now."

"I would've. But something came to my attention." the 6th Special Agent said flatly, "There is a possibility we got stowaways on board. Erect barrier blessings in the corridors around Cabin sixteen on B-deck."

The captain hesitated for a single second as she took it in, and turned to repeat the order to her bridge officers. Once it had been given, energy flared into B-deck as the barriers popped into place. They were little more than firewalls, but would serve just fine as blockages against whatever vermin might be on board. "Shall I ready the guards?"

Naomasa tiredly rubbed her temples. "Yes, but don't send them in. We'll deal with this cautiously when we arrive – there's no telling what we got here."

"Understood."

"I'll notify 'Asakusa' of the situation before I go to sleep. Don't let anything happen while I'm out." she said, and merely waited for the captain to nod before she closed the transmission, and opened another one - 'Asakusa''s image materializing without a moment of wait.

"Is there something you need, Lady Naomasa? Over."

"Jud... we got a situation here..."

* * *

_05:58 – 14 A.E._

_Kraken Class Cargo Ship "Bontenmaru"_

"Did anyone else hear that?" Dom asked, as several dull hums started up in perfect unison outside the cabin, and ended as quickly as they came.

Marcus cursed softly, "Yep, we all did."

"Think they're onto us?"

"Won't know till we check it out."

Dom tilted his head in acknowledgment, and stretched his arm out to twist the knob. Cole took position on the other side, Gnasher in hand. They wordlessly exchanged a nod before he jerked the door open.

Cole cocked his shotgun as he checked for any possible hostiles beyond it; "Clear."

Following said confirmation, Dom stepped out and pointed his Lancer down the corridor, but lowered it at what he found, "Guys. We got trouble."

Marcus left through the door before Cole could to join Dom as he stared down the corridor at a large digital frame that stretched from wall to wall, and floor to ceiling. A glowing red square framed by a series of black and gray geometric figures. Something was also written on it, but it was clearly of a foreign language. "The hell is that?"

"Only one way to find out." Dom grit his teeth and approached it.

"Hey, Dom.."

"I can handle it." he firmly insisted. He felt more at ease taking risks if it meant that Marcus would not die before him if something went belly-up. Once there, he nudged the butt of his rifle against it, and met resistance upon impact. "It's... a barrier of some kind."

Baird went besides him and took the examination a bit further as he placed a gloved hand against it. It was like touching glass. "Doesn't this look like those other frames?" he questioned, "

"Can we break through it?" Marcus asked.

"I've got no idea."

"Step back." Dom told them as he raised his Lancer and revved its chainsaw into action. Its raucous roar filling the corridor as he prepared to lean the weapon against this strange barrier, "Let's see if it can handle this."

Baird and Marcus took a cautious step back before the Santiago made contact. The frame fizzled strongly in waves as the weapon's metal teeth tried to dig into it, though without much to show for it. The Santiago broadened his stance and leaned in further, only to almost jump as the mechanism in his saw began to sputter.

"Forget it." Marcus hollered over the noise, "Stop before you send those teeth flying."

Dom cursed and withdrew. He stared intently at where the chainsaw bayonet met the barrier, but there was no sign of damage. "... Fuck."

Baird looked the same area over and shook his head in irritation, "So we're locked in tight then."

"And there's another barrier right over there." Cole gestured behind them. "However they found us, we sure as hell can't move."

"We're screwed."

"So what are we going to do now?"

Marcus seemed to be chewing on exactly that, "We are too exposed out here in this narrow space. Let's go back to the cabin... and wait. That is about all we _can_ do right now."

* * *

_06:02; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - Honda Household_

Masazumi woke up with a start as the air above her head rang with the opening of a divine transmission. The torii which framed the image lit up the darkened room like a sun, and the Honda who had up till then been sleeping quietly in her bed.

It was with an agonizing groan that the young woman turned to face the frame, eyes glazed over by the sheer grogginess she experienced that instant. She blinked repeatedly to clear it out, but with a huge lack of success. All she could see was the frame itself, and the woman dressed in a maid uniform – her guess was one of the fleet captains.

"Who... 'Musashi', is it?"

"It is, milady. Over."

She gasped lowly in acknowledgment, "I see. What is it?"

"We received a message from the Bontenmaru. Over."

"Ugh... Any reason why it couldn't wait till a more prudent hour?"

"Lady Naomasa believes there might be stowaways on board of unknown origin. Over."

"Stowaways?" Masazumi muttered, "... Of unknown origin?"

"Jud. Presently, Lady Naomasa has had a section of the ship sealed off. We shall initiate a thorough scan once the ship docks with the Asakusa. Over."

"Did you notify the Chancellor?"

"Jud. But Lady Horizon says he is currently... indisposed. Over."

_He did something stupid again... didn't he? I can already tell._ "Okay. Thank you, forward to me the time of their arrival and stand by. I'll take this up with the Chancellor's board."

'Musashi' nodded succinctly, and told her when the Bontenmaru would arrive before she promptly left the Vice-President in peace – allowing the darkness to once again embrace her.

Masazumi scratched her head. Nothing came to mind for a moment before she finally dragged herself out of bed. Fortunately there are some students that are more readily available at this hour than the others.

* * *

_08:36 – 14 A.E._

_Vectes – Pelruan_

Anya couldn't sleep at all. Normally at times such as this, she would be in the CIC to maintain contact with Delta. Now there was no HQ to do that from, and she had no choice but to wait for the report. She couldn't contact them at all on her own accord, as it could endanger them at a very bad time.

Just to make sure, she had ventured up to the reactor, and was at the very least relieved by the absence of bodies and signs of fighting.

Once back in Pelruan, she ventured to the harbor and looked outward to the sea - ignoring the fishermen who had woken up early for the time being. Gettner and Michelle on the other hand managed to sleep just fine. She also thought Bernie had gone to sleep too, but was soon proven wrong:

"Hey, haven't you slept at all? It's no use standing around like that." the old sniper addressed her in a chastising manner. In her immediate wake followed a pretty big dog with wiry gray fur who sniffed about with utmost curiosity – ears up high and alert.

"Sorry, but I don't really feel like it." Anya said as she watched the animal, "What's with the dog?"

"Visited some local dog owners, and one of their dogs took a real shine to me. This beaut's Mac. Trained to track both rabbits and stranded. Just my kind of pooch." Bernie settled herself into a low crouch and petted the hairy canine, causing him to yip in approval. "Seriously though, you got to get some rest. How long till the first ravens arrive?"

"A couple of more hours."

"That really ain't far from now."

"You're right... I'm just so..." Anya stiffened as a wave of static invaded her ear, which she immediately pressed a finger against. The call was garbled, so much figurative grain that it was hard to make out any words, but the tone was unmistakably Marcus'. "Come again? Is that you Marcus?!"

Only scattered words made it through. The rest were too garbled to make sense of, and the signal grew steadily weaker.

"Please repeat. You're breaking up!"

* * *

_08:41 – 14 A.E._

_Kraken Class Cargo Ship "Bontenmaru"_

"Anya? … Anya?! _Shit_." Marcus cursed bitterly, and switched the channel. "Command. This is Delta. Come in! I repeat..."

"They're jamming us." Baird stopped him verbally, "Deliberate or not – we're on our own now."

"Any idea how these folks are doing it?" Cole asked.

"No idea. All I can think of is; either this whole ship's like a Faraday cage, or there is nothing here to bounce the signals off of – which means most of the information are lost on transit."

"Oh... this is just _perfect_."

"If we could just go outside..." Dom muttered, still keeping watch on the hallway outside without diverting his gaze.

"Ain't no getting out till those barriers go away, baby. When the hell are they going to come at us anyway?"

Marcus sat down on the bed – and ignored the subsequent creaking sound coming from it under his weight. They had debated on trying to break through the barriers with grenades, but in the end; none of them dared to waste the precious ordnance as there was no guarantee that it was going to work. The real question is though, what will the response be when these folks finally decide to act against them directly? "I've got a feeling they won't, not until we arrive. You should be more worried about what method they might resort to."

"Oh yeah?" Baird let out a laugh, a pretty hollow one. "For example?"

"You said it yourself; this is like a spacecraft. Think of it."

"Guys..." Dom rolled his eyes nervously, "Don't give them any ideas – in case they're watching us."

"Doubt that's the case. For all we know, all that set them off was the use of that thing." Marcus indicated the dot on the wall behind him. Not knowing that it was more his fault for turning it off, in what was the shittiest timing in the world.

"Yeah, yeah..." Cole groaned, "I screwed up, didn't I? But now that we're trapped, let's take another look. It shows the outside, am I right?"

"I don't know..." Marcus cast a dubious glance at the dot, but went ahead and pressed it. "But might as well."

The image that greeted them was still the sight of the ocean far below them. It was a whole lot brighter too, as one could expect of the morning hours. In silence, all but Dom watched it as small islands that dotted the otherwise watery landscape constantly shifted and vanished into the horizon. It was clear this time as they more closely examined the moving picture that this is indeed a window to the outside – probably for the comfort of whoever used to have this room, or maybe every room got it.

For now, it would help to pass the time.

* * *

_11:03; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Yamato" - "Asakusa" 3rd Dock_

Neshinbara stood fully erect as he overlooked the dock, and the airspace beyond as the Bontenmaru emerged from the clouds, which seemed as though they danced poetically around the ship. An interesting contrast to their current situation.

"All hands." he called out with great flair – a motion repeated by the formal-looking mouse hovering at his shoulder. Listening to his words was a gathering of a hundred boys and girls under arms. Mostly riflemen from the Gunnery Club, while the rest carried defensive blessings to form walls if necessary.

Before him hovered a map of the area with dots displaying every squad under his command. On either side of that was open divine transmissions to those of his class present, plus Naomasa.

"Be ready for thorough scan of the Bontenmaru once it arrives, 'Asakusa'. Upon confirmation of intruders' presence, we flush the curs out to capture them."

A chorus answered him – punctuated by the prompt "Jud" from the commanding doll of the Asakusa. Across the docks, clamps opened up to accept the Cargo ship as it got closer.

"How are we going to flush them out?" Naomasa inquired.

Neshinbara adjusted his glasses, "We give them a way out of course. There is a set of stairs close to the target area that will allow them to reach the top deck." He had studied the layout of the Bontenmaru only briefly, and already had a plan in order. His hands flew over the haptic keyboard of his and sent the information to Naomasa for execution, "Remove one barrier, and add ones at the locations I've specified."

"Jud. Looks good."

"One thing is to open a trail, but to make them seize the bait is another." Nate commented like he recited it from a book.

But the secretary already had something in mind for that too; "You'll be surprised how much incentive a moving wall can provide, right Ukii?"

The half-dragon chuckled as his image appeared alongside the others. "Of course."

"Once the intruders are on the roof, we corner them. In normal battlefield conditions, you need three to capture one enemy due to the danger involved, but here we have the means to intimidate them into surrender. Naomasa, you will play a big part in that."

"I got it."

"Everyone else, provide assistance if needed."

"Judgment!"

* * *

_11:20 – 14 A.E._

_Kraken Class Cargo Ship "Bontenmaru"_

Marcus and the others had been staring at the 'window' for a long time. By using whatever pokes up from the ocean as landmarks, combined with the rate at which said landmarks vanished into the distance, it was safe to assume that the ship was slowing down – all the more confirmed as the hums beyond the cabin dulled.

"Stand to – Delta." Marcus hissed at them, "Fair guess.. we're either there or we're a traffic jam. Expect shit to go down really fast."

"We're still so high in the air... so why the..." Baird leaned closer to examine it, only to pull back as something massive slid into sight as this craft slowed even further. Metallic thumbs reverberated through the hell immediately after as the ship finally was brought to a complete halt. "The hell?"

"Did we just dock?" Dom questioned.

"Can't be.. we're still-"

They all flinched as a deafening screech of static from their earpieces proceeded to scream into their ears, followed by a strange transparent wall that emerged, and harmlessly passed on through. Dom only needed one look outside the cabin to confirm that this was going on ship-wide. "We just got scanned, didn't we? I remember this kind of shit in old sci-fi."

"Individuals with no proper identification detected. Intruder alert. Over." a flat feminine voice echoed through the ship along with a blaring alarm.

"You happy?" Baird cried out through the noise as he pulled his earpiece off and stuffed it in his pocket – a motion echoed by all of them for now, in case another infernal screech decides to knock them off their feet.

"Yeah, ecstatic!" Dom remarked sarcastically before a flash of light from down the hallway drew his attention – the barrier had faded away. One look the other way confirmed that both had vanished. "Barriers' gone. Should we leg it?"

"Wait." Marcus joined him. As did the rest of Delta.

Cole pushed out first with a great application of general caution, peering in either direction for any sign of a threat. "Nothing to- oh, what the fuck!"

Dom saw exactly the same thing as a creature of great stature covered in armor plates appeared from around the distant corner, fire belching from its elbows. It damn near filled the whole space.

Both discharged their weapons in unison at the unknown, only to see their released ammunition bounce clean off its armor in a rapid series of sparks. Its only reaction was to bring those big angular arms up to protect its face.. then took a threatening step towards them.

"Okay... Small arms... definitely not effective." Baird observed.

Their leader growled, "Forget what I said. Get out. Treat it like it's a berserker. Then run like hell!"

It was hard to eject themselves into the narrow hallway all at once, but understanding the urgency; it only took a couple of seconds before they all managed to get on their way in a single file line – Cole leading up front, followed by Dom himself, Marcus and finally a very pissed off Baird.

A boom sounded off behind as another gust of fire exploded from the dragon-like creature's arms when it lowered itself, and charged after them at a speed one wouldn't think it was capable of in such confined space.

Numerous barriers greeted them along the way, narrowing their path to a degree more than worthy of suspicion. But with a creature they had never before seen breathing down their necks, all that was in their collective mind was to tactically retreat with all speed and hope to get out of this mess – or at least find a better place to fight.

After a seemingly endless series of stairs, they were finally greeted by a welcoming gust of fresh air, and a burst of sunlight that momentarily blinded them. Marcus' gaze fell on the distant sky, and the distant ocean - with all its recognizable landmarks - when he saw clearly again. So the device back in the cabin really was a window to the outside after all. But something was off, the ship was not moving - yet the landscape shifted as though they traveled in an entirely different direction.

Cole breathed a heartfelt expletive, which made the sergeant turn and see. Just like the others' apparently had, he initially lost his voice when confronted by what their ship had landed at. Most of the view filled by an open-air dock, which was aside from the crew and wooden floors perfectly white. Whatever this place is, it's damned huge.

"What the fuck..." Baird tried to take it all in, and steadily failed as he repeatedly cursed. His mind close to being blown. "What the flying fuck!?"

Marcus had a creeping feeling that they are just looking at a small part of a much more massive vessel.

What demanded their attention more was the number of troops across the dock this craft's berthed at. Easily a hundred, most more than elevated enough to have a clear shot. This particular part of their view did much to make the reality of their situation sink back in.

"Yeah." Dom said severely, "We're in the shit now."

"Ri~ght up to here." Cole breathlessly indicated a space above his head. "A mountain of it."

The ship's hull shuddered under their feet – its top deck was also made of wood from the looks of it, such finely crafted panels with no gap wide enough to shove a knife into – and forcefully dragged Delta's already overwhelmed attention to a number of frames on the far side of the deck that popped into existence and exploded into showers of shiny dust-particles that danced across the deck. From within this display, a humanoid machine more than a couple of dozen feet tall rose up from a crouched position.

What struck him about this threat was its womanly design, and the strong colors and stylistic additions it was adorned with. The thing was also armed with what appeared to be a pair of huge wrenches – Marcus' choice of weapons would have been a pair of cannons if he had one of those. Its twin emerald eyes glowing with acknowledgment as it began to home in on their position with thundering steps that would have put a horde of silverbacks to shame.

It was all too much to take in at once as the four stood there, their brains apparently frozen. The bodies however acted automatically in the face of this threat, and elevated whatever guns they had in hand at it.

"So... what are we going to do now?" Dom asked, more than a little nervous.

"Drop your weapons and submit." the half-dragon that had pursued them through the interior of the ship surfaced with a grin. "That is all that is required from you."

The Santiago whipped around to face it, "You can talk?!"

"Big surprise." it dryly chuckled, "Now, drop the arms."

"You would be wise to heed us." a female voice seconded – with a posh accent. From above came a youthful girl with a fancy uniform and an impossibly large hairdo – but the most eye-catching detail was the number of chains that in logic-defying ways orbited her body - one of which has bounced off the deck and curled itself into a platform to provide her with a landing pad on which to stand on like it was ground.

_Did she just jump? From where? And how's she standing there?  
_

Finally, far up ahead, the young woman they saw leading the effort at the reactor on Vectes surfaced and addressed Delta solemnly, "Indeed, you are at the receiving end of far too much bad karma to come out unscathed _if _you choose the path of resistance."

The situation was not lost on Delta at all. Challenging them was a small horde of soldiers, a giant mecha, a strange girl and an even stranger armored creature, and who knows what else. After fourteen years of war, every member had been in more disadvantaged fights than they cared to remember, but this situation in contrary to the grubs was full of unknowns. The more they saw, the less they understood. "Marcus?" Dom asked, letting their sergeant make the call. Surrender would have been impossible to consider against grubs, but this was different.

"Hrm..." Marcus locked eyes with the silver-haired girl, who was the closest to them if one did not count the dragon-like thing. "And what is going to happen to us if we surrender?" he inquired smoothly like one noble to another.

* * *

_11:25; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - "Asakusa" 3rd Dock_

Nate arced an eyebrow. It'd be insulting if a dirty stranded had addressed her in that manner, but there was something very different about this one and his ice blue eyes that glowered as if judging her. There was no flaw in the formality of his speech, so it left her to guess he might just be a noble - or used to be one.

Till now, other than dropping down to join in the act of intimidation intended to make them drop their weapons and allow capture, she did little more than to observe them. Them, and their sheer bulk that seemed to come from their sheer physical fitness. Each of them sported an impressive set of excellently trained and well-defined muscles. So much in fact that it seemed as though their muscles got muscles, and their muscles' muscles got muscles.

At the same time, this observation made the werewolf-side of her heritage decide what to have for dinner today: Beef, lots of beef. Just like when she decided to order chicken after a hearty glance at the witches' sets of wings.

Finally, mentally shaking the more indecent thoughts from her mind, Nate folded her arms as she replied to his inquiry: "You will be taken prisoner, of course."

His expression was unreadable. "And after that?" the man – Marcus – almost insistingly asked.

Nate gracefully settled herself into a crouch – somewhat alarmed. After the initial shock, these soldiers – their occupation guessed at by looking over their rugged armor - displayed a remarkable lack of real fear. "You shall eventually be taken in for questioning. But we will not endanger your lives." It was not of the most defusing kind, but a little honesty could go a long way. "That is unless you choose to fight – at which point you will be branded as invaders and be dealt with accordingly; both as enemies and eventual prisoners of war."

Marcus considered her words with great scrutiny, "Alright." he finally grunted, though the noble tone remained. "Delta – drop your weapons."

His team was clearly hesitant, but ultimately followed through. Dominic was first to place his rifle down on the deck, followed by the shotgun, ammunition, then finally his set of grenades. Baird and Cole followed his example. The blonde was clearly not very optimistic at all, but he did as told anyway.

Once they had fully disarmed themselves, Nate nodded in appreciation. "All can with ease bring their weapons forth, but only a few people know when to sheathe them. You are indeed wise."

"Shit." Cole mumbled an unexpectedly nervous chuckle, "First time anyone's called me _wise_." watching as a group of soldiers, each of them clearly in their teens, out of the ship with a collection of cuffs.

* * *

_11:26; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - "Asakusa" Bridge_

"Capture complete." Neshinbara reported uniformly. "Confronted on all sides, the intruders surrendered without a fight."

"That's great news." Masazumi sighed in relief. It had been a fairly tense moment as she and those with her watched as things unfolded at the docks. "Glad it did not turn into a firefight."

"Indeed." the boy readjusted his glasses, lips kept thin in scrutiny. "By sheer number, they carried a whole lot more instruments of destruction than the average infantryman. Each of them carried about four grenades, and an absurd number of magazines to feed their weaponry – which by and large consisted of a pistol, shotgun, and an assault rifle... which got a chainsaw for a bayonet." Neshinbara shuddered.

"There was a whole lot of such weapons in Tuktu."

"For the love of... Why did they go out of their way to mount such an addition. One hell of a thing to maintain I wager. Lots of dry blood on 'em too – so they've used it plenty."

"I am fairly sure they only did it out of necessity. Anyway, take the prisoners straight to the brig. I will be there shortly."

"Yeah, right-o."

"Ho~h. For a bunch of fossils, they look pretty good." Kimi hummed softly as the transmission closed and leaned her frame closer to the sign frame that displayed the prisoners being taken away from the Bontenmaru, lips pursed into a sultry smile.

"Aw, Kimi..." Tomo Asama displayed a slight amount of indignation towards her childhood friend. "That is very rude. At most, they must be in their thirties."

"Precisely!" the shameless woman proclaimed with a curled fist.

"Don't fall into her trap, Tomo." Masazumi twitched, "A reaction's what she wants."

Kimi giggled, then leaned unnervingly close to the dark-haired girl, who in futility tried to back away. "So, shan't we go see these beasts, boob-less politician?"

She stared at the other woman with some trepidation, "That's what I plan to do you know."

"So let's do it now."

"Kimi..." Tomo said with a nervous grin, not exactly doing anything to get between them. She may be a shrine maiden, but with enough knowledge of indecent things to sink a fleet.

Masazumi swallowed nervously, "Y-yes! Now is as good a time as any, just don't squeeze those things at me."

The Aoi smiled triumphantly as she rose to her full height, gaze lingering on the Vice-Presient as she got up and motioned to leave.

_You know... your family's antics are going to be the end of me._

* * *

_11:40 – 14 A.E._

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" - "Asakusa" Brig_

A loud metallic click rang out through the brig as the heavy door slid shut after the last of Delta had been brought inside one of the more spacious cells, with no less than six separate bunks along the walls – each oversized to a degree that puzzled the imprisoned gears.

Cole took it in stride as he almost went and bounced off of one while laughing loudly, "Look at_ this_! I think I like this place already."

The silver-haired girl, who came with them alongside a troop of guards, watched them with some amusement. "This prison was fashioned in order to hold the likes of arch-devils if necessary. So whatever you might try to escape, it will not work."

Dom leaned close to Marcus with a quiet question; "Arch-devil. The hell's she on about?"

"Don't know." Marcus whispered back with a shrug.

"Be sure to straighten up." she continued, "Our Vice-President wishes to see you."

Marcus' only reaction was the arcing of an eyebrow, "The Vice-President?"

"Aye. Despite, or exactly because of what you did."

"Huh, you don't say?"

With a nod she turned and paced away from the cell, a glance cast by the fancily dressed woman was enough to make the guards stand a little straighter. But no longer did it take than a minute till approaching footsteps could be heard behind the door at the far end of the brig. "I believe that is her. Be on your best behavior for the duration of the visit, you hear?"

"Oh, don't ya worry." Cole stood up from his selected bed with a grin that could be both serious and childish at the same time, "I'm a real ladies' man, baby."

"I-is that so?" she grimaced at what he called her.

"Momma taught me all the manners, ya see. To treat with sensibility, respect, and tact -"

A dark-haired woman appeared at the door with an unreadable expression that could be anything from interest to suspicion, and two other women flanking her with large and overly buoyant-

"- Hooters!"

Nearly everyone within earshot froze in shock at that booming outburst from Cole, all attention on him as their expressions were nearly universally filled with either disgust or bewilderment, all except one of resignation from Marcus. And amusement from the long-haired brunette next to the assumed Vice-President; "Hoh~"

Cole numbly realized his mistake, and had a very real and nasty feeling that he would soon be the ground-zero of an imminent case of female on male violence.

"Yeah..." Baird hoarsely coughed, "Tact."

* * *

**Author notes**: Here it is. Not as full of action as I originally intended, but here you go. Chose this route for the sake of variation instead of simply starting the relationship between the COG and Musashi with dialogue. Also, this will allow for interactions that would not had been possible with the other route.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Search**

* * *

_11:45; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" Brig_

Marcus came to stand within a foot of the bars that separated himself from those outside – an unreadable frown upon his face, and nose slightly wrinkled. Trying to ignore the newly made crater Cole's self-chosen bed had turned into... with the former thrashball player lying unconscious in it, still reeking from the enormous beat-down he received from the drill-haired girl – who had come in after his outburst to beat the sod out of him with such application of force the rest of Delta decided to simply step back and treat it like the elephant in the living room.

In the background – while it was going on – the dark-haired woman, possibly the Vice-President, looked on with tired resignation while trying to verbally calm down the obviously annoyed woman next to her, the one with a bow and arrow ready in her hands. The brunette to the Vice-President's left however did no more than laugh outrageously at the beating till it ended, then stopped right on cue.

It was probably for the best that Cole fainted before it was over. Those overly swollen cheeks looked like they'd hurt a lot.

Done, the assaulter pulled back out and locked the door behind her before stepping aside. Finally allowing the Vice-President to approach their prisoners. She looked over them analytically before setting her chocolate-brown gaze on Marcus. A statement about to leave those lips of hers.

Marcus however spoke first; "Vice-President Masazumi Honda, I presume?"

She paused. "Yes. How did you... Who told you?"

"Someone we know." he replied cryptically, his voice not wavering an ounce.

"I assume you won't tell us who sent you then?"

A shrug. "We sent ourselves." It was partially true.

Masazumi frowned at him, but the corners of her lips soon faintly curled upward. "I'm certain you're aware of what you tried to pull off. Attempted infiltration into foreign territory. You won't be let off easily for that."

"Naturally."

"You may have many questions about us. But we're the ones who'll do the asking. We won't endanger your lives, but your tongues will be loosened before long."

"We've been in a whole lot of shit over the years." Baird growled from the back of the cell. "I've seen how the grubs torture their prisoners up close. I doubt anything you can do to us can top that."

"Baird..." Dom sighed warily, "We just watched a little girl beat the crap out of Cole like he was a piece of wet towel exposed to razor hail."

Marcus grumbled almost inaudibly in agreement. That girl's strength was insane, she completely floored him – a guy nearly twice her size - and collapsed the bed both in one punch. And that was just the _first_ blow! Not only that, he had seen more than enough hand-to-hand fights to see when one was holding back... and she was visibly holding back a lot!

At Dom's comment, the silvery girl smiled slyly.

Masazumi broke the resulting silence with a cough, "For now, let's settle on something you should not have any compunction giving..." Behind her, the purple-haired girl with the bow opened up a frame which included what looked like a keyboard. "Your names."

Marcus pondered about that, and thought of the short list of information captured gears could freely give to their interrogator: Name, rank, and serial number. He found no reason to withhold his identity.. it's not like they could use it against him. "Marcus Fenix." he told them, only withholding his rank for now, and gestured for the others to follow suit.

Dom did so easily. "Name's Dominic. Dominic Santiago."

Baird on the other hand was more reluctant. A piercing glare from their sergeant was enough to make him relent. "Damon S. Baird. And our buddy over here too busy counting sheep; Augustus Cole."

Gratified by the response, Masazumi addressed her friend in the back. "Tomo, did you get all of that?"

Tomo nodded and recited; "Jud. Marcus Fenix. Dominic Santiago. Damon S. Baird. And Augustus Cole."

"Alright. That will do for now."

"Pleasure." Marcus raised his shoulders.

Masazumi held his gaze a little longer and finally turned to walk away. The other females converging on her as she neared the exit at the far end of the brig – engaging in a hushed conversation not meant for Delta's ears.

"Anyone else feel their 'we're screwed' detector go off?" their blonde teammate growled as he sat on his chosen bunk.

Only Dom offered an answer to that: "Shut up, Baird."

* * *

_11:52; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" Brig_

"Did you notice?" Kimi asked once the girls had converged, sparking the conversation with that majestic giggle of hers. "That necklace he wore."

"What necklace?" Masazumi asked, puzzled by how a necklace is in any way relevant.

"It appeared when our mindless little beast decked the big guy."

"B-beast?" Nate half-growled. Oft annoyed by the shirabyoushi's brashness.

The Vice-President tilted her head, "But what about it?"

"Fu~ Unfashionable and ugly, but quite striking. It featured a cogwheel... don't we often enough hear of the faction people out there refer to as the 'COG'?"

"Cogwheel. Are you sure it's not just a coincidence?"

"I don't know..." Nate said thoughtfully, "The cogwheel could possibly serve in the same capacity as dog tags, to quickly identify soldiers – fallen or not. If the others got those cogwheel necklaces too, and if those got heir names on, then their affiliation with the COG will be undeniable."

"Suppose if they are with the COG: Why send common grunts on infiltration missions?" Tomo inquired curiously, "That is a job for specialized operatives far as I know."

"Maybe because they no longer have any special forces available."

Masazumi raised her arms, "Let's not jump to conclusions here until we know for sure. Nate, can you handle their interrogation?"

The half-werewolf pondered for a moment, "... Jud. I got an idea we can try."

"Hoh?" Kimi giggled, "Do share."

"Well, I doubt their food is any better than what the Stranded got. Leave those four to starve till later, then tempt them with Hassan's best curry."

"Really devious~"

"Better than roughing them up, I guess." Masazumi whispered.

Tomo gave a nod of agreement, "Much better."

Nate frowned as she looked to the others, hands on hips. "No promises. They look really hardcore, it won't be an easy oyster to crack."

"I'll leave you to it then." Masazumi stated and navigated the rest of the way to the exit, "By the way, Tomo."

"Yes?"

"About our business later, I'll be bringing Mary along. Said she wanted to know more about the Shinto faith."

The shrine maiden's expression brightened, "Tell her she's more than welcome to come along."

"I'll do that." Masazumi replied as she and Tomo left the brig. Noticing only a few seconds later that Kimi had chosen to remain with Nate. That realization chilled her to the core.

* * *

_12:01; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Lesser Islands – Usak Harbor_

Many wipe-open eyes followed her as she descended upon the local harbor, attached to the small Stranded settlement called Usak – no larger than a lone pier with thirteen rusting boats berthed at its sides. It was her fourth assigned harbor so far this trip.

Malga Naruze had fully unfolded her pairs of raven-black wings that identified her as a fallen angel as she gently braked. This broom she currently rode on was a far cry of the one that was destroyed at Mikawa, and was of a somewhat cranky sort, but it had to do.

Her thoughts drifted to her lover, Margot – and thus more or less completely ignored the dozen or so stranded across the pier, even as a few tried to address her. Malga would much rather be with her, but their assignments made that impossible at the moment. They were given command of each their separate team of witches. Those not part of the manga club (the majority) served in the capacity as scouts and interceptors. Malga and hers on the other hand who are part of the club, went about marking the boats resting at each harbor attached to villages affiliated with the Musashi Protectorate.

Carefully, Naruze landed atop the first boat, whilst still being stared at. The local chief and sailors had all gotten the note that someone would come from Musashi to mark their ships to avoid collateral damage in the major hunt that would soon commence. But none expected the person to be a young girl flitting through the air atop a broom – judging by the utter silence that otherwise greeted her aside from the few outspoken ones she payed little attention to.

Wordlessly, she plucked her pen out of its assigned pocket and knelt down to jot the mark down on the roof of the wheelhouse – facing upward. Many were the mutterings about magic as she quickly drew a frame, consisting of lines of cerulean lights that the tip of her pen left in its wake, in the air just inches off the roof panels.

It was a frame from a doujinshi she had drawn since their expedition's departure when the Vice-Chancellor told her of how many ships needed to be marked. She made it long enough that there is one frame for each boat.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't necessary to make it that complex. Random scribbles would have sufficed, simply because of them being spatial drawings, which the locals could not possibly replicate. But no... Naruze did it this way out of simple _preference_.

"There we go..." she whispered as the first drawing was complete – displaying a pair of girls holding hands viewed from above. Satisfied, the girl remounted her broom and drifted to the next boat's wheelhouse to repeat the process, but with a different image – while humming a song under her breath as she worked.

* * *

_12:03 – 14 A.E._

_Lesser Islands – Usak Town Outskirts_

Olsen sneaked close to the pier, as close as he could without alerting the fishermen present. He was no denizen of this shantytown, but a mobile lookout affiliated with LIFTA. Simply put, his job was to travel about to find juicy targets for the organization to capture. And when he wasn't out spotting for new prey, he worked as a trader - his wares mostly consisting of furs and utility goods he had managed to piece together.

He arrived here no more than an hour ago, and was met by a strange tension that filled the small fishing village to the brim. And even stranger, the village sustain itself primarily on fishing... yet none of the boats are out. Instead of working, the locals spoke in hushed yet excited whispers about new tidings, rumors that something was going to go down really soon.

Specifically; Musashi was going to step up their efforts to crush piracy in the region. But when he inquired about further details, he was met with no more information. No one knew anything.

LIFTA has been in these waters for years before Musashi suddenly appeared and established a protectorate that quickly encompassing so many clans of Stranded. Chairman Darrel Jacques, the leader of LIFTA since its foundation was at first ready to continue with business as usual, until news came in about what happened on Vectes.

Thoroughly enraged, the chairman had ordered attacks upon Musashi's allies... which he now universally looked on as traitors for accepting a COG-loyalist enclave into the fold - confident in his belief that the newcomers are much too humane for their own good to retaliate.

Olsen thought that too after all he had heard. But now, he felt a sense of foreboding. That something terrible was going to happen soon.

And now, just minutes ago... he noticed the rising commotion at the pier and went to investigate – with the hope of finding answers to his many questions. Once there, he hid himself away behind a barrel filled with god knows what – and peered past it at the collection of boats and their crews... their attention directed at a lone figure hovering over the wheelhouse of one of the closer boats to his position.

What he saw there, was a strange but very fine-looking girl with several black wings sticking out of her back. She set down on the wheelhouse, broom in hand. Her expression dreamy as she bent her lovely legs to crouch down and do whatever she came to do while treating the people watching her like as much air.

Olsen narrowed his gaze, watching as she hoisted a pen and sketched something on the roof, or rather, a few inches _off_ the roof. An intricate image was quickly made, and she mounted her broom to fly to move on. He scanned the perimeter, and noticed similar drawings upon a few of the other boats.

It only took a few seconds of watching as he tried to make sense of what was going on, and immediately fell on his ass with a gasp once realization struck – of what he thought Musashi planned.

"Hey you!" one of the fishermen had turned at the clumsy noise the lookout made, and discovered him.

Without a word, Olsen picked himself up and ran away. _The newcomers are marking the boats! I need to tell the Chairman... before it is too late! God... oh God, I hope I'm wrong._

* * *

_12:05; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Lesser Islands - Usak Harbor_

It was that which finally made Naruze pause in her work when several fishermen suddenly broke off the staring to pursue some guy who reportedly – as far as she could tell – had sneaked up on them.

At once, she discontinued her current daydreams to make the inquiry; "Not one of your own?"

Rebecca - chief of this village and clan - shook her head vehemently, "No, some nosy merchant who comes by now and then. Never trusted the guy... Only tolerated him for this long since he oft got good stuff for sale."

"Uh-huh." the girl mumbled in a low tone. Pen hovering over an image she had not quite finished yet, "Must be mighty good stuff. I wouldn't let anyone I didn't trust close to me."

"Should have trusted my gut-feeling all those times before and put a bullet through that pointy nose of his." Rebecca sighed, and threw a harsh glance at the remaining fishers, "The hell are you still doing here?! Help the others catch that son of a bitch!"

Naruze watched out of the corner of her eyes as the remaining men turned with a start and departed from the pier. "Hrm... maybe I should head out too." she whispered and tightened her grip round the broom. "He'd need a boat to get here. If it's not here in the pier... where does he keep it?"

"Want in on the hunt, huh?" the stranded leader asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Just suspicious. An innocent wouldn't just take off like that."

Rebecca nodded, "Well, typically he takes his boat onto land about a hundred feet or so beyond our outer walls – to the south. Says he's paranoid about his goods."

"Jud. Then that's where I'll go." Naruze replied as she started up the broom for immediate departure. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Okay. Don't get hurt now."

* * *

_12:09 – 14 A.E._

_Lesser Islands – Beach south of Usak Town_

Olsen had always been confident about his skills at running away. He won multiple diploma at sprinting back in the day, and had participated in at least three marathons. It's what helped him stay alive when the Locust war began, and what continued to save his butt through the years after that.

And that about sums up the reason people relies on him for this type of work, because he was quick to get out of trouble and report back with any findings. Some would call that cowardice, but he didn't care. It kept him alive.

The pursuing fishermen had gotten weapons, but there were too great a distance and too many hills between him and them. The ground transitioned from grass to sand, and his motorboat was just a short distance away. A quick push and he'd be home free.

But then, a neon-blue trail of light punched into the sand at his feet with the force of a heavy round.

"That's as far as you go."

Olsen did not even slow his pace, and ran even faster while scanning the side for whoever fired the shot, and found the girl he saw earlier hover in the air above him – all six wings arrayed to keep her aloft – with no weapon as he could see it... but held her broom like one would a firearm.

He hurried to his boat, and threw himself in. It was customized with a hidden compartment in the front, with both a radio and a Snub Pistol in it. There, he wrestled with the lock and forced it open to retrieve the weapon – just as the girl landed at the back, right in front of the detachable engine. Broom pointed straight at him.

"Now... let's have a little chat!"

Olsen whirled about, slapped the broom aside, and – pistol in hand - discharged a round at her.

But she acted already before the bullet left his gun. Pen in her left hand, the girl drew a line in the air between them... and the bullet which was supposed to strike her instead splashed into the water-drenched sand adjacent to the boat.

_T-the fuck was that...?!_

Bewildered, he squeezed another round out... which also landed in the sand as the winged girl rapidly drew additional sets of lines in the air. Olsen shot as fast as his finger could possibly twitch, and emptied most of the magazine without hitting her even once.

_What is happening?!_

Panicking, Olsen let loose the final round. And apparently, she was quite fed up with him. She drew a sloped circle next, and this time... he finally saw what was going on. The bullet hit the circle, which curved its trajectory into following it... till it finished the loop, and was rebounded back at him.

In that situation, he couldn't evade.. and cried out in pain as the bullet struck his shoulder, "Augh-!"

"And for good measure..." the girl said, and exchanged the pen for a coin... which she fed into a slot-like digital frame on her broom, and shot his left hip – largely immobilizing him.

"Gah-!" Olsen nearly screamed. "W-what the hell did you do?! What the fuck are you?"

"Musashi Ariadust Academy's-" she began to introduce herself. Looming over him with wings all spread out. "4th Special Agent of the Chancellor's board, Malga Naruze."

In the distance, the armed villagers from Usak drew closer.. but slowed their pace upon seeing the intruder subdued by their visitor. Olsen knew he was finished, and invisibly backed away to knock an elbow against the radio behind his back, booting it up in the process. He was a coward, but a coward with pride in his work – even if said work was of the dirty kind. At least now his comrades back home could listen in.

"Now, you best cooperate." Naruze said, leaning slightly closer – smiling ever so slightly. "Or I'll leave you to their chief to do with you as she sees fit." half-gesturing at the men out there while tapping her broom at the deck, "I take it you're not just a merchant."

"Go to hell, y-you bastards. I know what you're planning!"

* * *

_12:11; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Lesser Islands – Beach south of Usak Town_

Naruze raised an eyebrow, trying to maintain a mostly neutral expression as she moved on to answer him on his claim; "You do? Then enlighten me. How much do you know?"

"You're marking the ships that belong to clans under your damned banner in a way we can't copy... Ugh..." the balding man croaked in pain from the injuries she inflicted on him – directly and non-directly – and the resulting loss of blood. "Then there's the rumors going on downtown..."

Rumors. It was all that was needed to make the witch mentally droop. _I guess strict secrecy is impossible in a community as small as this. Any slippage of info inevitably spread like wildfire._

"And once you're done... you're gonna wipe out all boats you find missing one of those tags."

A crackle of static filled the air, so abrupt it made Naruze's eyes widen instantly in surprise. It was as though someone just emitted a screeching gasp into a badly tuned microphone. "What the...? You surely didn't!"

The balding man managed a smirk, "Oh yes..." and lifted an arm to reveal the radio he kept hidden, "LIFTA now knows what you're up to. If you think we're just going to roll over and die, think again yo-!" and was cut off mid-sentence as a round abruptly buried itself into the back of his skull. Unceremoniously killed, the man simply collapsed like a doll with no strings attached.

Naruze balked at the suddenness of it and very nearly fell off the boat. That risen arm of his must have been interpreted by the nearby fishermen as an attempt to harm her, and acted accordingly. Now, they rapidly closed in. "Hey, you alright?" one of them asked, an old and bearded fellow.

"I'm fine." she replied hoarsely, beating at the air with her wings. Her eyes somber as she stared at the lifeless body sprawled on deck. "... Your leader were right to distrust him. He's one of them... the pirates."

"Son of a bitch. We here lost more than a couple of boats to those assholes before you guys came along..."

"He was probably involved on those incidents too. Though I've got no proof to back it up."

"If that's true.." the old man spat, "Then good riddance I say. Make sure those pirates pay dearly, you hear?"

"We'll do what we can..." Naruze promised - not telling that Musashi only intended to cripple LIFTA, not slaughter them outright - watching as everyone stripped off the boat everything usable. One of them already headed back to the village, the boat-based radio in his arms. "Excuse me. If you find anything that might help us find their bases, please hand it over."

"There's something here..." One young guy near her age retrieved what looked like a furled-up map from the compartment behind where the radio used to be. "Here.." he said and tossed it over.

She caught and unfurled the piece of paper. It was old, but still very readable. But her expression of interest faded into a frown as she found a number of black dots at different locations, but with no way to distinguish them. It could even be false, to send would-be enemies on a wild goose-chase.

Real or false, no way to know for sure without checking first...

Naruze sighed, and watched as the fishermen eventually picked the boat completely clean and had all left. The pirate's corpse left to rot in it.

_Do you have any family left in this world...?_ She thought with a tinge of sorrow. _Will they come looking for you?_

A solemn sigh left her lips as she turned away to face the ocean, and opened a divine transmission to the "Yamamoto". Ultimately, duty had to come first. The Vice-Chancellor needed to know what had transpired.

Futayo's stern image appeared to the witch momentarily, "Naruze. Is there anything you need to report?"

"We've had an incident here at Usak involving a suspicious person. As of now, we've got to assume the enemy knows what we intend to do."

"I see."

"On the other hand, I've recovered a map with many marked locations. I don't know what might be at those places, but it's worth checking out at least."

Futayo's eyes seemed to lighten up, "Excellent. That could save us much time and effort. Finish up what you were doing and return. Make it fast."

Naruze nodded with a smile just as the transmission ended. She got back on her broom and hurried back to Usak. Regardless of orders, she wasn't the type to leave a job halfway done anyway.

* * *

_12:17 – 14 A.E._

_Lesser Islands – Valesland Island – LIFTA HQ_

Chairman Darrel Jacques sat in his office in what used to be a villa owned by some rich guy back in the day. A couple of large buildings, a few small ones, and a modest pier were part of the original set up – all greatly expanded after LIFTA moved in. It had turned into a ramshackle village with a much larger pier to house the many ships possessed by the organization he thought of as one of the major regional powers in this ruined world.

"Hurry up!" was just one of many shouts outside. The number of boats at the piers would only grow as the orders circulated throughout the region. There was no time to lose, especially since Musashi is coming. Little was known of what went down over at Usak, but Olsen was a man he knew to trust.

A snort filled the air, coming from Lyle Ollivar who stood by the door. The guy always looked like a well-groomed manager, or at least as much as one could expect. "So..." he started his question thoughtfully, "... beyond that big-ass recall, what are you planning?"

"What else? We're gonna dig our heels in and bleed them dry."

"Better than running away, I guess. Though I can't help but be uneasy..."

Darrel leaned on his desk, "This turf... is ours. And after what they did at Vectes... they need some sizing down. And I've got just the weapons to do it. I stockpiled them precisely for an eventual confrontation."

"Longspears." Lyle almost whispered. Pendulum wars-era rocket launchers. It couldn't be stressed enough how hard those things are to come by now. A couple of clans out there did manage to acquire large stockpiles of them though, which they either sell at exorbitant prices or save for something big.

"That's right. When they get here, we'll teach them not to challenge us again. Just you wait, Musashi!"

* * *

_13:11; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Lesser Islands – Kraken Class Warship "Yamamoto"_

Futayo Honda sat in the bridge in utter silence. The only sound coming from the slightly uneasy Margot who stood to the side, and the chatter of personnel with the low number of scouts currently out. Other than that, the fleet stood still over open water.

They were only waiting for Naruze. With knowledge of their plan, LIFTA would surely pull back from these waters to prevent loss, so randomly searching for them thus was a recipe for failure. It was beyond damned necessary to get that map recovered by the aforementioned witch. And she was the last to arrive.

"Sorry I'm late." the 4th Special Agent almost gasped when she finally came. Close to explaining when Futayo cut her off – arms crossed.

"No excuses. Now, the map."

Acknowledging the order with a sigh, Naruze approached her from the side, opposite to Margot and handed over the furled map. "This is it. Here's hoping none it won't lead us astray."

The samurai accepted and read the aging piece of paper, frowning deeper – eyes narrowed down till she brandished the map and had its image scanned and listed locations projected onto the holographic image in front of them.

"That is pretty far off..." Margot observed as she stepped closer for a look. "It's going to take a while to get there."

"More than that." Futayo murmured thoughtfully and gestured. The distance between them and LIFTA's core territory included England and its protective veil of dense mists... which perimeter may as well be defined as the airborne country's outer borders. "We need to circle around England along the way, extending our journey even further."

"At the earliest, we won't arrive till tomorrow at first light."

"For a battle soon to begin, the dawn is a decent time. Not as much as night, but it will do."

"But..." Malga said softly, "... where should we strike? None of these locations got any specific info."

"You and your fellow hexen will check every location we pass along the way to the middle."

"... Why the middle?"

Futayo's eyes gleamed, "Where would you place your HQ if you expected attacks from any direction?" and she pointed resolutely at the dot placed exactly in the middle, "Right there!"

"I have my doubts." Malga mumbled, "But it's your decision."

"Yes." the samurai stood from her said and made a sweeping gesture, addressing everyone in the fleet'; "Our path lies before us. Tomorrow at first light we will engage the enemy. Before this time comes again, we will announce our total victory! Forward!"

"Judgment!"

* * *

_14:28; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – Asama Household_

"Anything else you want to know?"

"Thank you kindly. But I imagine I've got enough food for thought."

They had by this time done away with the tour of the shrine. It was quite crowded at the time, so Tomo wasn't able to elaborate on anything Mary wanted to know until they got to the maiden's house for some relaxing herbal tea – and thus enough privacy for a thorough Q&A. It was in great part the composition of Shinto shrines that piqued the English woman's interest. For example about why the Haiden, the oratory/hall of worship is separate from the Honden, the place where the kamis are enshrined.

Masazumi simply tagged along for most of it and listened as the two went on while sipping tea till it finally seemingly was at its end. "So Tomo. About Tsukinowa.. did you find him?"

"Why yes." the maiden clapped her hands together with great vigor. "Located him in an agricultural garden not far from here. The poor mouse was terribly lost, but not all alone. A few brown algae kept him company till I came to pick him up."

"That's such a relief." she breathed. Hand on her flat chest as she exhaled. "Could I see him?"

"Of course. One moment." Tomo said and got up to leave the room. Most households had low-standing table without chairs.

Mary seemed thrilled, "I so look forward to seeing your mouse."

"Don't coo too aggressively. Tsukinowa's... very young."

"I'll be careful." the fellow student almost sang.

Tomo returned at that moment, gently carrying a glowing open box she soon put down on the table for the others to see. Mary instantly cooed at the sight of the tiny and mildly luminescent anteater lying on the cushioned interior of the box. It seemingly slept, but reacted once the females leaned close. Tsukinowa emitted a low peep of curiosity as it pivoted its sharp head to look up at them – settling its gaze soon enough on Masazumi. "Here you go, Masazumi." the maiden said, "Tsukinowa has made a full recovery since your first encounter with Hatton. You are free to secure it at any time."

Masazumi lamely nodded and reached into the box to retrieve her mouse. It squirmed very faintly against her touch, but did not attempt to resist, allowing her to pick it up. "I will..." the Vice-President smiled and brought it closer, prompting her collar to open with a tell-tale click – a sign frame resting in the resulting opening, ready to receive the mouse. Gently, she gave Tsukinowa a pat on the head with her thumb – at which it let out a comforted peep. Relieved by the positive response, Masazumi brought the mouse up and into contact with the sign frame on her collar, into which it promptly vanished – followed by another click as the collar fell shut. "Tomo, sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry, Masazumi." the maiden replied, "Always a pleasure to help."

"You're so very dedicated, Tomo." Mary complimented her.

"Thank you. I try."

"By the way... I heard about the infiltrators caught earlier. What are they like?"

The maiden looked thoughtful, "Big and buff, very heavily armed and armored. One seemed to be a noble of sorts, while another was... quite vulgar."

"Yeah..." Masazumi rolled her eyes, "... tell me about it. Nate's going to have a 'chat' with them later. Here's hoping it sheds some light on what we're dealing with here."

"Time will tell." Mary said, still with that delicate smile of hers. "Let's just hope it won't go too far."

Both of the others sighed at once, "Yeah."

* * *

_21:36; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" Interrogation room_

"Anyone feel as shitty as I do?" Dom asked, his words hollow.

Marcus tried to shake the daze from his brain as he looked for those who brought them here, but was only able to see the door close. Delta had gone to sleep after many quiet hours without food, only to be blindfolded and dragged out of their beds and brought here, where the binds where finally removed... but with restraints of metal that tied them solidly to each their chair taking their place.

The room was blindingly white. So much that he was hard-stressed to make out any corner at all, let alone an edge. It looked a whole lot bigger than it actually was because of it.

"Agh... give me a break." Baird groaned a little further away. It took a tilt of his head to confirm that their chairs had been placed in a neat line before the solitary exit that had seamlessly vanished in all of this pure whiteness.

Cole snickered awkwardly. With those still-swollen cheeks of his, he was in no position to perform his regular bravado."Interrogation time, baby. No steeling of muscle nor limb."

"Hurts more. Got it."

"Uh-huh..." Marcus murmured, and stared ahead of them as a rectangular silhouette appeared on the wall, the door opening wide and just long enough to let a single woman through. The drill-haired one from before walked in with a near-seductive but highly dignified pace, seeming like a other-worldly presence with her grandiose uniform framed by all this white, and the mass of chains that orbited around her frame. Her golden eyes locking onto his first – while noticeably avoiding Cole.

"You can probably guess why you are here." she started, folding her arms. "It is time for some answers. You tell me what I would like to know, and you will be allowed to head back to your comfy beds – even with a reward for your compliance."

"Rewards. Lady, we can't tell ya what we-" Cole began.. but she shot him a glare that could have sent a thrashball team flying over a city block – having experienced her strength first hand, Cole immediately shut his mouth.

The lady maintained her glare for an instant longer before she rose to her full height – which was not nearly as impressive as the gears tied down in the room. "As for the reward... what might be your first good meal in years." she snapped her fingers; "Behold."

Behind her, the door flew open and a number of servers walked in - trays in hand - lined up in front of Delta just out of reach. The contents of the bowls upon each tray hidden by plastic covers.

"W-what is it?" Dom asked, his full attention on the bowl in front of him.

Nate grinned and pulled off the cover on Marcus' bowl, which exposed the food fully and allowed its hauntingly spicy aroma to quickly fill the room. Marcus couldn't tell if he had ever smelled anything this good. If there were, he had long forgotten it. There were gasps of disbelief and amazement from the others, and that was before they even saw the contents of said dish.

The sauce almost glittered in this light, and ingredients lying in it shone like gems. Potatoes, carrots, onions along with plenty meat.

Marcus swallowed nervously in such a way that it surprised him. The dish attracted him like nothing else had... A day without food only amplified it. It was only with a tremendous effort that he managed to avoid breaking down just for a taste.

"Give me the answers I seek, and I'll let you indulge yourselves... otherwise you get nothing."

"Shit... shit... shit... shit..." Baird muttered, audibly watering at the mouth, and ashamed of this little reaction of his.

Their sergeant steeled himself all he could. Though tempting it was, he could not offer her any answer she seeks.

Satisfied with their reactions, she leaned close. "Time for question number one..."

* * *

_21:50; 18__th__ June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" outside the Interrogation room_

Kimi calmly waited outside the room. Expression neutral. She was unable to hear any spoken word, and resigned herself to simply await Nate's return.

Which did not take much longer than a further couple of minutes when the servers finally left the room – food largely untouched and looking fairly cold. "Fu~ Seems like it wasn't enough to loosen their tongues."

Nate growled under her breath once she had closed the door. Annoyance flashing over her face. "Curse it. For a moment it looked like it was going to work. But not enough."

"So what now?" the Aoi asked, smirking. "Are you going to express your brutal mindless self to them?"

"As if!" the half-werewolf nearly shrieked.

"Then..." Kimi's smirk grew, folding arms underneath her enormous bosom. "I got an idea we can try out."

That earned her a wary look, "And that is?"

Initially, she only offered her reply in the form of a devious look. "Oh, you'll see~"

* * *

_22:13; 18th June; 1648; Testament Era_

_Quasi-Bahamut Class Aerial City-Ship "Musashi" – "Asakusa" Interrogation room_

The waiting had been unbearable. A while had passed since Nate left with the food. Delta had miraculously managed to avoid giving out any information. Cole had tried to earn the meal by nonsensically blabbering out information about just about everything that came to mind without actually saying anything relevant to her questions – but it was a no sell. It only earned him another hard glare.

"I still can't believe we got through that." Baird throatily commented.

Dom nodded in agreement, "You and me both."

"How long are they going to make us wait anyway?" Cole asked in a low voice, as if he felt Nate's eyes on his neck. "Gonna let us dry up in here?"

The door's silhouette began to show again. "Doubt it." Marcus growled, thankful that the smell had thinned out by now. "Be ready for anything Delta!"

They _were_ ready for anything. Anything except what proceeded to walk in on them: A naked man with tiny wings atop his hairless head.. and a red blob with eyebrows on his left shoulder.

"Good evening! I am not a suspicious fellow! I am the Incubus Kenji Ito! Here to make you feel perfectly at ease!"

Then the blob followed suit and spoke; "Along with myself, I, Nenji!"

* * *

Outside, the girls watched the door in silence. Listening to the screams of horror that came from the other room, mixed in with the enthusiastic 'One, two! One, two!' coming from the Incubus. Whatever was going on inside, Nate believed she had not even the faintest interest in knowing. Surely whatever the answer would be, it could drive her insane. Next to her, Toori's sister hummed to a tune, smirking in a wicked manner neither angels nor demons could compete with.

"Y-your evil is peerless."

Kimi let out a curt laugh. "I know."

* * *

**Author notes:** Not able to update as often as I'd like. Got a whole lot of other projects I gotta work on too. Though this chapter would have made it sooner if not for a few irl delays. Such as moving house and CPU fan dying on me.

Was a bit rushed at the end. Had a little struggle with it.


End file.
